Isaiah 47:1-11

The Humiliation of Babylon

1 ¹Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin ²daughter of Babylon; ³sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of ⁴the Chaldeans! ⁵For you shall no more be called tender and delicate.

2 Take the millstones and ⁶grind flour, ⁷put off your veil, strip off your robe, uncover your legs, pass through the rivers.

3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered, and your disgrace shall be seen. I will take vengeance, and I will spare no one.

4 ⁸Our Redeemer--the LORD of hosts is his name-- is the Holy One of Israel.

5 ⁹Sit in silence, and go into darkness, O daughter of ¹⁰the Chaldeans; for you shall no more be called ¹¹the mistress of kingdoms.

6 ¹²I was angry with my people; I profaned my heritage; I gave them into your hand; ¹³you showed them no mercy; on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.

7 You said, "I shall be ¹⁴mistress forever," so that you did not lay these things to heart or remember their end.

8 Now therefore hear this, ¹⁵you lover of pleasures, ¹⁶who sit securely, who say in your heart, ¹⁷"I am, and there is no one besides me; ¹⁸I shall not sit as a widow or know the loss of children":

9 ¹⁹These two things shall come to you in a moment, ²⁰in one day; the loss of children and widowhood shall come upon you in full measure, ²¹in spite of your many sorceries and the great power of your enchantments.

10 You felt secure in your wickedness, you said, "No one sees me"; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, ²²"I am, and there is no one besides me."

11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; ²³and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing.

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Isaiah 47:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 47

This chapter is a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon, and of the Chaldeans, and declares the causes of it. The mean, low, ignominious, and miserable condition Babylon and the Chaldeans should be brought into by the Lord, the Redeemer of his people, is described, Isa 47:1-5, the causes of it are their cruelty to the Jews, Isa 47:6, their pride, voluptuousness, and carnal security, Isa 47:7,8 their sorceries and enchantments, and trust in their own wisdom, Isa 47:9,10, wherefore their destruction should come suddenly upon them, and they should not be able to put it off, Isa 47:11, their magic art, and judiciary astrology, which they boasted of, by them they could neither foresee nor withstand their ruin, which would be of no avail unto them, Isa 47:12-14, nor their merchants either, Isa 47:15.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 23

1. [Isaiah 43:14]
2. Psalms 137:8
3. Isaiah 3:26
4. Isaiah 23:13; Isaiah 48:14
5. [ver. 5; Isaiah 13:19]
6. Judges 16:21; [Matthew 24:41]
7. [Isaiah 20:4]
8. See Isaiah 43:14
9. [Jeremiah 8:14]
10. [See ver. 1 above]
11. [ver. 1]
12. [Zechariah 1:15]
13. [Isaiah 14:17; Isaiah 51:23]
14. [ver. 1]
15. [See ver. 7 above]
16. Zephaniah 2:15
17. [Isaiah 45:6, 18; Jeremiah 50:29]
18. Lamentations 1:1; [Revelation 18:7]
19. [Isaiah 51:19]
20. [Jeremiah 50:31]
21. [ver. 12, 13; Nahum 3:4]
22. [Isaiah 45:6, 18; Jeremiah 50:29]
23. [Psalms 35:8; Jeremiah 51:41]

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.