1 For the Lord wil haue mercie on Iacob, and wil yet choose Israel, and set them in their owne land: and the strangers shalbe ioyned with them, and they shal cleaue to the house of Iacob.
2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possesse them in the land of the Lord, for seruants and handmaides: and they shall take them captiues, whose captiues they were, and they shall rule ouer their oppressours.
3 And it shall come to passe in the day that the Lord shal giue thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy feare, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serue,
4 ¶ That thou shalt take vp this prouerbe against the king of Babylon, and say; How hath the oppressour ceased? the golden citie ceased?
5 The Lord hath broken the staffe of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers.
6 He who smote the people in wrath with a continuall stroke; hee that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted and none hindereth.
7 The whole earth is at rest and is quiet: they breake foorth into singing.
8 Yea the firre trees reioyce at thee, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, Since thou art layd downe, no feller is come vp against vs.
9 Hell from beneath is mooued for thee to meet thee at thy comming: it stirreth vp the dead for thee, euen all the chiefe ones of the earth; it hath raised vp from their thrones, all the kings of the nations.
10 All they shall speake and say vnto thee; Art thou also become weake as we? art thou become like vnto vs?
11 Thy pompe is brought downe to the graue, and the noyse of thy violes: the worme is spread vnder thee, and the wormes couer thee.
12 How art thou fallen from heauen, O Lucifer, sonne of the morning? how art thou cut downe to the ground, which didst weaken the nations?
13 For thou hast said in thine heart; I wil ascend into heauen, I wil exalt my throne aboue the starres of God: I wil sit also vpon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North.
14 I wil ascend aboue the heights of the cloudes, I wil bee like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought downe to hel, to the sides of the pit.
16 They that see thee shal narrowly looke vpon thee, and consider thee, saying; Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdomes?
17 That made the world as a wildernesse, and destroyed the cities thereof that opened not the house of his prisoners?
18 All the kings of the nations, euen all of them lie in glory, euery one in his owne house.
19 But thou art cast out of thy graue, like an abominable branch: and as the raiment of those that are slaine, thrust through with a sword, that goe downe to the stones of the pit, as a carkeis troden vnder feete.
20 Thou shalt not be ioyned with them in buriall, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slaine thy people: the seede of euill doers shall neuer be renowmed.
21 Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquitie of their fathers, that they doe not rise nor possesse the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.
22 For I will rise vp against them, sayth the Lord of hostes, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and sonne and nephew, sayth the Lord.
23 I will also make it a possession for the Bitterne, and pooles of water: and I will sweepe it with the besome of destruction, sayth the Lord of hostes.
24 ¶ The Lord of hostes hath sworne, saying; Surely as I haue thought, so shall it come to passe; and as I haue purposed, so shall it stand:
25 That I will breake the Assyrian in my land, and vpon my mountaines tread him vnder foote: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.
26 This is the purpose, that is purposed vpon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out vpon all the nations.
27 For the Lord of hostes hath purposed, and who shall disanull it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turne it backe?
28 In the yeere that king Ahaz died, was this burden.
29 ¶ Reioyce not thou whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpents roote shall come foorth a cockatrice, and his fruite shall be a fierie flying serpent.
30 And the first borne of the poore shall feed, and the needy shall lie downe in safetie: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.
31 Howle, O gate, crie, O citie, thou whole Palestina art dissolued, for there shal come from the North a smoke, and none shall bee alone in his appointed times.
32 What shall one then answere the messengers of the nation? that the Lord hath founded Zion, and the poore of his people shall trust in it.
The destruction of Babylon, and the death of its proud monarch. (1-23) Assurance of the destruction of Assyria. (24-27) The destruction of the Philistines. (28-32)1-23 The whole plan of Divine Providence is arranged with a view to the good of the people of God. A settlement in the land of promise is of God's mercy. Let the church receive those whom God receives. God's people, wherever their lot is cast, should endeavour to recommend religion by a right and winning conversation. Those that would not be reconciled to them, should be humbled by them. This may be applied to the success of the gospel, when those were brought to obey it who had opposed it. God himself undertakes to work a blessed change. They shall have rest from their sorrow and fear, the sense of their present burdens, and the dread of worse. Babylon abounded in riches. The king of Babylon having the absolute command of so much wealth, by the help of it ruled the nations. This refers especially to the people of the Jews; and it filled up the measure of the king of Babylon's sins. Tyrants sacrifice their true interest to their lusts and passions. It is gracious ambition to covet to be like the Most Holy, for he has said, Be ye holy, for I am holy; but it is sinful ambition to aim to be like the Most High, for he has said, He who exalts himself shall be abased. The devil thus drew our first parents to sin. Utter ruin should be brought upon him. Those that will not cease to sin, God will make to cease. He should be slain, and go down to the grave; this is the common fate of tyrants. True glory, that is, true grace, will go up with the soul to heaven, but vain pomp will go down with the body to the grave; there is an end of it. To be denied burial, if for righteousness' sake, may be rejoiced in, #Mt 5:12|. But if the just punishment of sin, it denotes that impenitent sinners shall rise to everlasting shame and contempt. Many triumphs should be in his fall. God will reckon with those that disturb the peace of mankind. The receiving the king of Babylon into the regions of the dead, shows there is a world of spirits, to which the souls of men remove at death. And that souls have converse with each other, though we have none with them; and that death and hell will be death and hell indeed, to all who fall unholy, from the height of this world's pomps, and the fulness of its pleasures. Learn from all this, that the seed of evil-doers shall never be renowned. The royal city is to be ruined and forsaken. Thus the utter destruction of the New Testament Babylon is illustrated, #Re 18:2|. When a people will not be made clean with the besom of reformation, what can they expect but to be swept off the face of the earth with the besom of destruction?
24-27 Let those that make themselves a yoke and a burden to God's people, see what they are to expect. Let those that are the called according to God's purpose, comfort themselves, that whatever God has purposed, it shall stand. The Lord of hosts has purposed to break the Assyrian's yoke; his hand is stretched out to execute this purpose; who has power to turn it back? By such dispensations of providence, the Almighty shows in the most convincing manner, that sin is hateful in his sight.
28-32 Assurance is given of the destruction of the Philistines and their power, by famine and war. Hezekiah would be more terrible to them than Uzziah had been. Instead of rejoicing, there would be lamentation, for the whole land would be ruined. Such destruction will come upon the proud and rebellious, but the Lord founded Zion for a refuge to poor sinners, who flee from the wrath to come, and trust in his mercy through Christ Jesus. Let us tell all around of our comforts and security, and exhort them to seek the same refuge and salvation.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.