1 Behold, the Lord maketh the earth emptie, and maketh it waste, and turneth it vpside downe, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
2 And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest, as with the seruant, so with his master, as with the maid, so with her mistresse, as with the buyer, so with the seller, as with the lender, so with the borower, as with the taker of vsurie, so with the giuer of vsurie to him.
3 The land shall be vtterly emptied, and vtterly spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
4 The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughtie people of the earth doe languish.
5 The earth also is defiled vnder the inhabitants thereof: because they haue transgressed the lawes, changed the ordinance, broken the euerlasting couenant.
6 Therefore hath the curse deuoured the earth, and they that dwell therin are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
7 The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merrie hearted doe sigh.
8 The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that reioyce, endeth, the ioy of the harpe ceaseth.
9 They shall not drinke wine with a song, strong drinke shall bee bitter to them that drinke it.
10 The city of confusion is broken downe: euery house is shut vp, that no man may come in.
11 There is a crying for wine in the streets, all ioy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12 In the citie is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
13 ¶ When thus it shalbe in the midst of the land among the people: there shall be as the shaking of an oliue tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.
14 They shal lift vp their voice, they shal sing, for the maiesty of the Lord, they shall crie aloud from the sea.
15 Wherefore, glorifie ye the Lord in the fires, euen the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the yles of the Sea.
16 ¶ From the vttermost part of the earth haue we heard songs, euen glory to the righteous: but I said, My leannesse, my leannesse, woe vnto me: the treacherous dealers haue dealt treacherously, yea the treacherous dealers haue dealt very treacherously.
17 Feare, and the pit, & the snare are vpon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.
18 And it shall come to passe, that he who fleeth from the noise of the feare, shall fall into the pit; and he that commeth vp out of the midst of the pit, shalbe taken in the snare: for the windowes from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth doe shake.
19 The earth is vtterly broken downe, the earth is cleane dissolued, the earth is moued exceedingly.
20 The earth shall reele to and fro, like a drunkard, and shall be remooued like a cottage, and the transgression thereof shall be heauie vpon it, and it shall fall, and not rise againe.
21 And it shall come to passe in that day, that the Lord shall punish the hoste of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth vpon the earth.
22 And they shalbe gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut vp in the prison, and after many dayes shall they bee visited.
23 Then the Moone shall be confounded, and the Sunne ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reigne in mount Zion and in Ierusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.
The desolation of the land. (1-12) A few shall be preserved. (13-15) God's kingdom advanced by his judgments. (16-23)1-12 All whose treasures and happiness are laid up on earth, will soon be brought to want and misery. It is good to apply to ourselves what the Scripture says of the vanity and vexation of spirit which attend all things here below. Sin has turned the earth upside down; the earth is become quite different to man, from what it was when God first made it to be his habitation. It is, at the best, like a flower, which withers in the hands of those that please themselves with it, and lay it in their bosoms. The world we live in is a world of disappointment, a vale of tears; the children of men in it are but of few days, and full of trouble, See the power of God's curse, how it makes all empty, and lays waste all ranks and conditions. Sin brings these calamities upon the earth; it is polluted by the sins of men, therefore it is made desolate by God's judgments. Carnal joy will soon be at end, and the end of it is heaviness. God has many ways to imbitter wine and strong drink to those who love them; distemper of body, anguish of mind, and the ruin of the estate, will make strong drink bitter, and the delights of sense tasteless. Let men learn to mourn for sin, and rejoice in God; then no man, no event, can take their joy from them.
13-15 There shall be a remnant preserved from the general ruin, and it shall be a devout and pious remnant. These few are dispersed; like the gleanings of the olive tree, hid under the leaves. The Lord knows those that are his; the world does not. When the mirth of carnal worldlings ceases, the joy of the saints is as lively as ever, because the covenant of grace, the fountain of their comforts, and the foundation of their hopes, never fails. Those who rejoice in the Lord can rejoice in tribulation, and by faith may triumph when all about them are in tears. They encourage their fellow-sufferers to do likewise, even those who are in the furnace of affliction. Or, in the valleys, low, dark, miry places. In every fire, even the hottest, in every place, even the remotest, let us keep up our good thoughts of God. If none of these trials move us, then we glorify the Lord in the fires.
16-23 Believers may be driven into the uttermost parts of the earth; but they are singing, not sighing. Here is terror to sinners; the prophet laments the miseries he saw breaking in like a torrent; and the small number of believers. He foresees that sin would abound. The meaning is plain, that evil pursues sinners. Unsteady, uncertain are all these things. Worldly men think to dwell in the earth as in a palace, as in a castle; but it shall be removed like a cottage, like a lodge put up for the night. It shall fall and not rise again; but there shall be new heavens and a new earth, in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness. Sin is a burden to the whole creation; it is a heavy burden, under which it groans now, and will sink at last. The high ones, that are puffed up with their grandeur, that think themselves out of the reach of danger, God will visit for their pride and cruelty. Let us judge nothing before the time, though some shall be visited. None in this world should be secure, though their condition be ever so prosperous; nor need any despair, though their condition be ever so deplorable. God will be glorified in all this. But the mystery of Providence is not yet finished. The ruin of the Redeemer's enemies must make way for his kingdom, and then the Sun of Righteousness will appear in full glory. Happy are those who take warning by the sentence against others; every impenitent sinner will sink under his transgression, and rise no more, while believers enjoy everlasting bliss.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.