Isaiah 47

Lament for Babylon

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

2 "Take the ⁵millstones and ⁶grind meal. Remove your ⁷veil, ⁸strip off the skirt, Uncover the leg, cross the rivers.

3 "Your ⁹nakedness will be uncovered, Your shame also will be exposed; I will ¹⁰take vengeance and will not spare a man."

4 Our ¹¹Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

5 "¹²Sit silently, and go into ¹³darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans, For you will no longer be called The ¹⁴queen of ¹⁵kingdoms.

6 "I was angry with My people, I profaned My heritage And gave them into your hand. You did not show mercy to them, On the ¹⁶aged you made your yoke very heavy.

7 "Yet you said, 'I will be a ¹⁷queen forever *.' These things you did not ¹⁸consider * * Nor remember the ¹⁹outcome of them.

8 "Now, then, hear this, you ²⁰sensual one, Who ²¹dwells securely, Who says in your heart, '²²I am, and there is no one besides me. I will ²³not sit as a widow, Nor know loss of children.'

9 "But these ²⁴two things will come on you ²⁵suddenly in one day: Loss of children and widowhood. They will come on you in full measure In spite of your many ²⁶sorceries, In spite of the great power of your spells.

10 "You felt ²⁷secure in your wickedness and said, '²⁸No one sees me,' Your ²⁹wisdom and your knowledge, they have deluded you; For you have said in your heart, '³⁰I am, and there is no one besides me.'

11 "But ³¹evil will come on you Which you will not know how to charm away; And disaster will fall on you For which you cannot * atone; And ³²destruction about which you do not know Will come on you ³³suddenly.

12 "Stand fast now in your ³⁴spells And in your many sorceries With which you have labored from your youth; Perhaps you will be able to profit, Perhaps you may cause trembling.

13 "You are ³⁵wearied with your many counsels; Let now the ³⁶astrologers *, Those who prophesy by the stars, Those who predict by the new moons, Stand up and ³⁷save you from what will come upon you.

14 "Behold, they have become ³⁸like stubble, ³⁹Fire burns them; They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame; There will be ⁴⁰no coal to warm by Nor a fire to sit before!

15 "So have those become to you with whom you have labored, Who have ⁴¹trafficked with you from your youth; Each has wandered in his own way; There is ⁴²none to save you.

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Isaiah 47 Commentary

Chapter 47

God's judgments on Babylon. (1-6) Carelessness and confidence shall not prevent the evil. (7-15)

Verses 1-6 Babylon is represented under the emblem of a female in deep distress. She was to be degraded and endure sufferings; and is represented sitting on the ground, grinding at the handmill, the lowest and most laborious service. God was righteous in his vengeance, and none should interpose. The prophet exults in the Lord of hosts, as the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel. God often permits wicked men to prevail against his people; but those who cruelly oppress them will be punished.

Verses 7-15 Let us beware of acting and speaking as Babylon did; of trusting in tyranny and oppression; of boasting as to our abilities, relying on ourselves, and ascribing success to our own prudence and wisdom; lest we partake of her plagues. Those in the height of prosperity, are apt to fancy themselves out of the reach of adversity. It is also common for sinners to think they shall be safe, because they think to be secret in wicked ways. But their security shall be their ruin. Let us draw from such passages as the foregoing, those lessons of humility and trust in God which they convey. If we believe the word of God, we may know how it will be with the righteous and the wicked to all eternity. We may learn how to escape the wrath to come, to glorify God, to have peace through life, hope in death, and everlasting happiness. Let us then stand aloof from all delusions.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 42

1. Isaiah 3:26; Jeremiah 48:18
2. Isaiah 23:12; Isaiah 37:22; Jeremiah 46:11
3. Psalms 137:8; Jeremiah 50:42; Jeremiah 51:33; Zechariah 2:7
4. Deuteronomy 28:56
5. Exodus 11:5; Jeremiah 25:10
6. Job 31:10; Ecclesiastes 12:4; Matthew 24:41
7. Genesis 24:65; Isaiah 3:23; 1 Corinthians 11:5
8. Isaiah 32:11
9. Ezekiel 16:37; Nahum 3:5
10. Isaiah 34:8; Isaiah 63:4
11. Isaiah 41:14
12. Isaiah 23:2; Jeremiah 8:14; Lamentations 2:10
13. Isaiah 13:10
14. Isaiah 47:7
15. Isaiah 13:19; Daniel 2:37
16. Deuteronomy 28:50
17. Isaiah 47:5
18. Isaiah 42:25; Isaiah 57:11
19. Deuteronomy 32:29; Jeremiah 5:31; Ezekiel 7:2, 3
20. Isaiah 22:13; Isaiah 32:9; Jeremiah 50:11
21. Isaiah 32:9, 11; Zephaniah 2:15
22. Is 45:5, 6, 18; Isaiah 47:10; Zephaniah 2:15
23. Revelation 18:7
24. Isaiah 13:16, 18; Isaiah 14:22
25. Psalms 73:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:3; Revelation 18:8, 10
26. Isaiah 47:13; Nahum 3:4; Revelation 18:23
27. Psalms 52:7; Psalms 62:10; Isaiah 59:4
28. Isaiah 29:15; Ezekiel 8:12; Ezekiel 9:9
29. Isaiah 5:21; Isaiah 44:20
30. Isaiah 47:8
31. Isaiah 57:1
32. Isaiah 13:6; Jeremiah 51:8, 43; Luke 17:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:3
33. Isaiah 47:9
34. Isaiah 47:9
35. Jeremiah 51:58, 64
36. Isaiah 8:19; Isaiah 44:25; Isaiah 47:9; Daniel 2:2, 10
37. Isaiah 47:15
38. Isaiah 5:24; Nahum 1:10; Malachi 4:1
39. Isaiah 10:17; Jer 51:30, 32, 58
40. Isaiah 44:16
41. Revelation 18:11
42. Isaiah 5:29; Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 46:7

Footnotes 5

[a]. Lit "meet"
[b]. Lit "it"
[c]. Lit "her"
[d]. Lit "it has"
[e]. Lit "side, region"

Chapter Summary

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.