Historical chapter commentary
Verse 1. Day. Under the law of grace, Christians sing this and such like canticles. Worthington.—Sion. This word is not in Hebrew and so forth though it be understood. Calmet.—Other nations have their respective cities. All Christians admit this one. Worthington.—The captives continue to return thanks. Yet the Holy Ghost speaks chiefly of the Church, and of the general resurrection. Calmet.—Bulwark. Faith and good works. Worthington.
Verse 2. Truth. The Jews who returned from Babylon, were more virtuous than their ancestors, as the prophets intimate; though they have Christians principally in view.
Verse 3. Away: condemning the virtuous, as if they were fools. Menochius.—Sym. “our work, or fiction, is taken away.” Hebrew may have other meanings. Bible.
Verse 4. You, people of Juda.
Verse 5. High: Nabuchodonosor and his empire.
Verse 6. Needy. The Jews shall behold the ruin of the city by Cyrus, ( Calmet.) who was of a contemptible nation. Bible.
Verse 7. In. God will remove every obstacle, at their return.
Verse 9. Night of distress.
Verse 10. Justice. Clemency would therefore be ill placed. If the Israelites had not been led away captives, would they ever have been reformed?
Verse 11. Not see. Let them perish, or live to witness the glory of the Jews.
Verse 12. Works, both in punishing and rewarding. Calmet.—God crowns his own gifts. E.
Verse 13. Lords of Babylon, ( Calmet.) and our own passions. Bible.
Verse 14. Giants; the proud emperors of Babylon, whom thou wilt destroy. Septuagint “physicians;” as Rephaim has also this meaning.
Verse 15. Nation of the Jews. Calmet.—Septuagint “add evils to them, O Lord; add evils to the nobles of the land.” Bible.—Hebrew may have the same sense.—Ends: princes, or the Chaldees, sending them also into captivity; or thou hast propagated thy Church over the world.
Verse 16. They. Septuagint “We,” and so forth Calmet.—Affliction is a wholesome medicine. Bible.
Verse 18. Wind. Our expectation of aid from others has been disappointed. Calmet.—Septuagint “the spirit of thy salvation, which thou hast wrought on the earth. We shall not fall, but the inhabitants of the earth shall fall.” Bible.—Their copies must have been different from ours.—Fallen. The Chanaanites are left for our trial and punishment. Calmet.
Verse 19. Dead: a civil death, shall regain their liberty; and those who have left this world in a state of virtue, shall be happy.—Ruin. Cyrus liberated the Jews, having conquered Babylon.
Verse 20. Away, and Cambyses be destroyed. Ezekiel 38:11. Calmet.
Verse 21. Shall cover her stain no more. This is said with relation to the martyrs, and their happy resurrection. Challoner.—The blood of the saints shall demand vengeance. Calmet.
LORD or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.
Hebrew: יה Yah