And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers and
trumpeters
Which were for mirth, delight, and pleasure:
shall be heard no more at all in thee:
the words seem to be taken from ( Isaiah 24:8 ) ( Ezekiel 26:13 ) and may not only regard the loss of every thing that was delightful and pleasant to the ear in private houses, at festivals, and nuptials, and the like, but the ceasing of church music; there will be no more bells, nor organs, or any other instruments of music; no more chanters, and sub-chanters, choristers, singing men and boys:
and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be shall be, found any more
in thee;
which are very useful and necessary in cities and societies; it is threatened to Judah, that the cunning artificer should be taken from her, ( Isaiah 3:3 ) and it is reckoned as a considerable part of the distress of the captivity that the carpenters and smiths were away from Jerusalem, ( Jeremiah 24:1 ) and this judgment may fall on Rome for her worshipping idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, the works of men's hands, artificers and craftsmen, and who are employed in making other trinkets and wares for antichrist:
and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee;
to grind corn with, see ( Jeremiah 25:10 ) there will be a famine at the time that Rome is besieged, ( Revelation 18:8 ) and after it is destroyed, there will be no corn to grind, nor inhabitants to eat it, and so no use of the millstone; this is said in opposition to her luxurious and delicious living, ( Revelation 18:3 Revelation 18:7 Revelation 18:9 ) and this may also refer to feasts and rich entertainments, for which spices were ground and prepared by an hand mill F13 in the house; and so may signify here that there would be no more of such entertainments and rich living; with which sense agrees what follows. This clause is wanting in the Syriac and Ethiopic versions.