And the most proud shall stumble and fall
Or "pride", as before; "the man of pride", who is so proud that he may be called pride itself. The Targum, as before, interprets it a wicked king; and Abarbinel understands it of Belshazzar particularly, who was slain the night that Babylon was taken. It may be understood of the whole kingdom and monarchy of Babylon, which was a superb state; but all its grandeur and glory were brought down and laid in the dust at once, as mystical Babylon will; when it will be said, "Babylon the great", the proud and the haughty, is fallen, ( Revelation 18:2 ) ; and none shall raise him up;
the kingdom of Babylon shall not be restored train, nor the king of it have any successor, nor the city be rebuilt; compare with this ( Revelation 18:21 ) ; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round
about him;
in Babylon, the metropolis of the kingdom, and in all others round about it: it denotes the utter destruction of the whole monarchy. It may be applied to the burning of Rome with fire, and the ruin of its whole jurisdiction; for, when that is destroyed, the cities of the nations all around shall fall, which belong unto it; see ( Revelation 18:8 ) ( 16:19 ) .