1 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hostes doeth take away from Ierusalem, and from Iudah, the stay and the staffe, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water,
2 The mighty man, and the man of warre; the Iudge and the Prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient,
3 The captaine of fiftie, and the honourable man, and the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent oratour.
4 And I will giue children to bee their Princes, and babes shall rule ouer them.
5 And the people shall be oppressed, euery one by another, and euery one by his neighbour: the childe shall behaue himselfe proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.
6 When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, Thou hast clothing, be thou our ruler, and let this ruine bee vnder thy hand:
7 In that day shall he sweare, saying, I will not be an healer: for in my house is neither bread nor clothing: make me not a ruler of the people.
8 For Ierusalem is ruined, & Iudah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the Lord, to prouoke the eyes of his glorie.
9 ¶ The shew of their countenance doeth witnesse against them, and they declare their sinne as Sodom, they hide it not: woe vnto their soule, for they haue rewarded euill vnto themselues.
10 Say yee to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eate the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe vnto the wicked, it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his handes shalbe giuen him.
12 ¶ As for my people, children are their oppressours, and women rule ouer them: O my people, they which lead thee, cause thee to erre, and destroy the way of thy paths.
13 The Lord standeth vp to plead, and standeth to iudge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into iudgement with the ancients of his people, and the Princes thereof: for ye haue eaten vp the Uineyard; the spoile of the poore is in your houses.
15 What meane yee that yee beat my people to pieces, and grinde the faces of the poore, saith the Lord God of hosts?
16 ¶ Moreouer the Lord saith; Because the daughters of Zion are hautie, and walke with stretched forth necks, and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they goe, and making a tinkeling with their feet:
17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crowne of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discouer their secret parts.
18 In that day the Lord will take away the brauery of their tinckling ornaments about their feete, and their caules, and their round tyres like the Moone.
19 The chaines, and the bracelets, and the mufflers,
20 The bonnets, and the ornaments of the legges, and the headbands, and the tablets, and the earerings,
21 The rings, and nose-iewels,
22 The changeable sutes of apparell, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pinnes,
23 The glasses, and the fine linnen, and the hoods, and the vailes.
24 And it shall come to passe, that in steade of sweete smell, there shall bee stinke; and in stead of a girdle, a rent; and in stead of well set haire, baldnesse; and in stead of a stomacher, a girding of sackecloth; and burning, in stead of beautie.
25 Thy men shall fall by the sword, and thy mightie in the warre.
26 And her gates shall lament and mourne; and she being desolate, shall sit vpon the ground.
The calamities about to come upon the land. (1-9) The wickedness of the people. (10-15) The distress of the proud, luxurious women of Zion. (16-26)1-9 God was about to deprive Judah of every stay and support. The city and the land were to be made desolate, because their words and works had been rebellious against the Lord; even at his holy temple. If men do not stay themselves upon God, he will soon remove all other supports, and then they must sink. Christ is the Bread of life and the Water of life; if he be our Stay, we shall find that is a good part not to be taken away, #Joh 6:27|. Here note, 1. That the condition of sinners is exceedingly woful. 2. It is the soul that is damaged by sin. 3. Whatever evil befals sinners, be sure that they bring it on themselves.
10-15 The rule was certain; however there might be national prosperity or trouble, it would be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked. Blessed be God, there is abundant encouragement to the righteous to trust in him, and for sinners to repent and return to him. It was time for the Lord to show his might. He will call men to a strict account for all the wealth and power intrusted to and abused by them. If it is sinful to disregard the necessities of the poor, how odious and wicked a part do they act, who bring men into poverty, and then oppress them!
16-26 The prophet reproves and warns the daughters of Zion of the sufferings coming upon them. Let them know that God notices the folly and vanity of proud women, even of their dress. The punishments threatened answered the sin. Loathsome diseases often are the just punishment of pride. It is not material to ask what sort of ornaments they wore; many of these things, if they had not been in fashion, would have been ridiculed then as now. Their fashions differed much from those of our times, but human nature is the same. Wasting time and money, to the neglect of piety, charity, and even of justice, displease the Lord. Many professors at the present day, seem to think there is no harm in worldly finery; but were it not a great evil, would the Holy Spirit have taught the prophet to expose it so fully? The Jews being overcome, Jerusalem would be levelled with the ground; which is represented under the idea of a desolate female seated upon the earth. And when the Romans had destroyed Jerusalem, they struck a medal, on which was represented a woman sitting on the ground in a posture of grief. If sin be harboured within the walls, lamentation and mourning are near the gates.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.