In that day, saith the Lord of hosts
That Shebna is deposed, and Eliakim put in his place:
shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and
be cut down, and fall;
meaning, not Eliakim before spoken of, who really was a nail fastened in a sure place, and not to be removed; but Shebna, who thought himself to be as a nail in a sure place, being put into it by the king, and supported by his authority, and courted by his friends and flatterers; for to him the whole preceding prophecy is directed, which is carried down to this verse; for all that is said of the glory and usefulness of his successor Eliakim was to be told to him, which would make it still the more grievous to him, to be degraded and disgraced as he would be, signified by his being removed, cast down, and falling:
and the burden that [was] upon it shall be cut off;
those that were dependent upon him, his family, his flatterers, and friends, such whom he had raised by his influence and authority to considerable places, and whom he supported in them; these would fall with him, as is usual when a royal favourite, or prime minister of state, falls into disgrace, and is removed; an instance of this may be seen in Haman, whose family and friends were involved in the same ruin with him, ( Esther 9:12-14 ) and it may be observed, that many dependents, which a minister of state always has, are a burden to him. The Targum interprets this of the burden of prophecy; and Jarchi says, that some explain it thus,
``the prophecy, which thou prophesiest, concerning it, shall be confirmed;''as follows:
for the Lord hath spoken [it];
and therefore it shall come to pass;
as the Targum,
``for, so it is decreed by the word of the Lord.''