Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou [wast] not
spoiled
Which some understand of Nebuchadnezzar; others of Sennacherib,
which is more probable; it seems best to interpret it of the
Romish antichrist. Kimchi thinks that, if it respects the times
of Hezekiah, Sennacherib is meant; but if the times of the
Messiah, then the king of nations that shall be in those days;
and he adds, this is the kingdom of Persia, in the vision of
Daniel. Vatringa applies this to Antiochus Epiphanes, and the
whole prophecy to the times of the Maccabees; but it best agrees
with the beast of Rome, to whom power has been given over all
kindreds, and tongues, and nations, the Apollyon, the spoiler and
destroyer of the earth, especially of the saints, whom he has
made war with and overcome; see ( Revelation
9:11 ) ( Revelation
11:7 Revelation
11:18 ) ( 13:7 ) now
this spoiler of man, of their substance by confiscation, of their
bodies by imprisonment and death, and of their societies and
families by his violent persecutions, and of the souls of others
by his false doctrine; though he may continue long in prosperity
and glory, and not be spoiled, or destroyed, yet not always. The
Vulgate Latin version renders the last clause interrogatively,
and perhaps not amiss, "shall thou not be spoiled?" verily thou
shalt; the same measure he has meted to others shall be measured
to him again; the spoiler of others shall be stripped of all
himself; he that destroyed the earth shall be destroyed from off
the earth; he that leads into captivity shall go into it; and he
that kills with the sword shall be slain by it, ( Revelation
11:18 ) ( 13:10 ) :
and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously
with
thee;
or, "shall they not deal treacherously with thee?" so the above
version renders it with an interrogation; and both this and the
preceding clause are thus paraphrased by the Targum,
``woe to thee that comest to spoil, and shall they not spoil thee? and who comest to oppress, and shall they not oppress thee?''truly they shall; the kings of the earth that were in confederacy with the beast, and gave their kingdoms to him, shall hate the whore, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, ( Revelation 17:16 ) : when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shall be spoiled;