And I will prepare destroyers against thee
The Chaldeans, men of savage dispositions, bent upon the
destruction of their neighbours; and who had already destroyed
many nations, and so fit instruments for such service, as after
mentioned; and who yet did not come merely of themselves, but
were moved and directed to it by the powerful and all wise
providence of God, in consequence of a previous preparation and
appointment of them by the Lord in his counsels and purposes. It
is, in the original text, "I will sanctify destroyers" {c}; and
not only intends a purpose and design; but suggests, that what
they should do by his will and order would be consistent with his
holiness and justice; and also that being prepared and ready,
they might quickly expect a visit from them: everyone with
his weapons;
of war, or slaughter weapons, as in ( Ezekiel 9:2 ) ; or, "a
man and his weapons" F4; not a single man only, as
Nebuchadnezzar, but him and his army; everyone of the destroyers
prepared with proper instruments to do execution: and they
shall cut down thy choice cedars, and cast [them] into the
fire;
the sons of the king, the princes of the blood, the nobles of the
land, and other persons of rank and distinction, comparable to
the tall cedars of Lebanon; so the Targum,
``and they shall slay the beauty of thy mighty ones, as the trees of a forest are cut down, and cast into the fire;''or else the stately palaces of the king and his nobles, and other beautiful buildings, which were lined and ceiled with cedar, are here meant; and which the Chaldeans burnt with fire, ( Jeremiah 52:13 ) .
F3 (ytvdqw) "sanctificabo", V. L. Montanus, Cocceius.
F4 (wylkw vya) "virum et arma ejus", Vulg. Lat. Vatablus; "virum et instrumenta ejus", Montanus, Cocceius.
