Come down and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans!
For you shall no more be called
tender and delicate.
2 Take the millstones and grind flour,
put off your veil,
strip off your robe, uncover your legs,
pass through the rivers.
3 Your nakedness shall be uncovered,
and your disgrace shall be seen.
I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no one.
4 Our Redeemer—the Lord of hosts is his name—
is the Holy One of Israel.
5 Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
for you shall no more be called
the mistress of kingdoms.
6 I was angry with my people;
I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy.
7 You said, “I shall be mistress forever,”
so that you did not lay these things to heart
or remember their end.
8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who say in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow
or know the loss of children”:
9 These two things shall come to you
in a moment, in one day;
the loss of children and widowhood
shall come upon you in full measure,
in spite of your many sorceries
and the great power of your enchantments.
10 You felt secure in your wickedness;
you said, “No one sees me”;
your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray,
and you said in your heart,
“I am, and there is no one besides me.”
11 But evil shall come upon you,
which you will not know how to charm away;
disaster shall fall upon you,
for which you will not be able to atone;
and ruin shall come upon you suddenly,
of which you know nothing.
12 Stand fast in your enchantments
and your many sorceries,
with which you have labored from your youth;
perhaps you may be able to succeed;
perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels;
let them stand forth and save you,
those who divide the heavens,
who gaze at the stars,
who at the new moons make known
what shall come upon you.
14 Behold, they are like stubble;
the fire consumes them;
they cannot deliver themselves
from the power of the flame.
No coal for warming oneself is this,
no fire to sit before!
15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored,
who have done business with you from your youth;
they wander about, each in his own direction;
there is no one to save you. Isaiah 47 ESV
Isaiah 47 Humiliation of Babylon
28 All this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar. 29 At the end of twelve months he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles' feathers, and his nails were like birds' claws. Daniel 4: 28-33
17 Then Daniel answered and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another. Nevertheless, I will read the writing to the king and make known to him the interpretation. 18 O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father kingship and greatness and glory and majesty. 19 And because of the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whom he would, he killed, and whom he would, he kept alive; whom he would, he raised up, and whom he would, he humbled. 20 But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit was hardened so that he dealt proudly, he was brought down from his kingly throne, and his glory was taken from him. 21 He was driven from among the children of mankind, and his mind was made like that of a beast, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. He was fed grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, until he knew that the Most High God rules the kingdom of mankind and sets over it whom he will. 22 And you his son,[s] Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, though you knew all this, 23 but you have lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought in before you, and you and your lords, your wives, and your concubines have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see or hear or know, but the God in whose hand is your breath, and whose are all your ways, you have not honored.
24 “Then from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. 25 And this is the writing that was inscribed: Mene, Mene, Tekel, and Parsin. 26 This is the interpretation of the matter: Mene, God has numbered[t] the days of your kingdom and brought it to an end; 27 Tekel, you have been weighed[u] in the balances and found wanting; 28 Peres, your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.”[v]
29 Then Belshazzar gave the command, and Daniel was clothed with purple, a chain of gold was put around his neck, and a proclamation was made about him, that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.
30 That very night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was killed. 31 [w] And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old. Daniel 5: 17-31
1-7. Come down and sit in the dust - Humiliation comes with a reality check; who are you, O great Babylon? What have you put your faith in, the things you built, your government, armies?
…18Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”20And Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living.… Genesis 3: 18-20
O virgin daughter of Babylon - She knew no captivity, she enslaved but had not known such for herself. She came from the same dust as all those she trampled upon.
Tender and delicate - She had the soft hands of those who love to be served, waited upon, and she knew none of the hard labor, nor appreciated the yoke she placed on others.
Uncover your legs, pass through the rivers - This area was known as the Fertile Crescent, and like the Nile Delta, Mississippi, Amazon and other large river systems with their many influents and capillaries, the soil was naturally recharged during the flooding season with large deposits of mineral rich silt. This creates ideal conditions for such crops like rice when the ground is wet. The marsh lands were also a place where the poor, slave women, would roll up their skirts and harvest reeds to weave baskets. For the rich Babylonian rulers this would not be a roll their women would know, and as in any caste system, it would be a job looked down upon by the elite, even though they ate and used the end products.
The mistress of the kingdoms - She revered herself, but was also revered by the rest of the world for her rich and lavish lifestyle. Everyone wanted to be associated with her until she fell. She would know longer be considered the envy of the nations. This will also apply to the future Babylon.
…7And he said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and the springs of waters.” 8Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality. 9And a third angel followed them, calling out in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or on his hand,… Revelation 14: 7-9
On the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy - God was angry with the sin of His people, and so sent them into captivity, but the Babylonians were excessive in their treatment. They had no regard for the limitations of the elderly, sick or weak.
17Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”18Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.… Jeremiah 50: 17-18
…14Then the angel who was speaking with me said, “Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion, 15but I am fiercely angry with the nations that are at ease. For I was a little angry, but they have added to the calamity.16Therefore this is what the LORD says: ‘I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My house will be rebuilt, declares the LORD of Hosts, and a measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem.’… Zechariah 1: 14-16
8-9. You lover of pleasures - She was drunk, a glutton, and on the backs of others. Her armies had defeated many and her walls and motes gave her the feeling of security. Her laws protected her sins, or so she thought.
I am, and there is no one besides me - She would make herself out to be God, her kingdom was massive, her trade was prosperous, but though God humbled Nebuchadnezzar, his son would think his kingdom impenetrable even against the warnings of the prophets. This land had Daniel among others who gave wise counsel to it's kings. Pride comes before destruction, once we think we are untouchable that hand is not far off.
I will not sit as a widow - I see the tornado coming from a distance, but I refuse to take shelter, and I refuse to believe in the repercussions of that, nor will I call my children inside. She was her own god, even though made from the dust, she obstinately defies the reality.
Babylon did lose her inhabitants, many of whom were killed and taken captive under Cyrus. This prophecy was fulfilled again when Babylon revolted against Darius; and in order to hold out in the siege, each man chose one woman of his family and strangled the rest to save provisions. Darius impaled 3,000 of the revolters. - JMac
10-11. You felt secure in your wickedness - "Look, I lied, and it worked, no one found me out."
No one sees me - I did it under cover of darkness, I killed the surveillance cameras, the meeting was in secret, we plotted in a secret place and no one heard or saw. The end justifies the means for her, she sits in power, gained by wickedness and deceit, but who can prove it?
25It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household! 26So do not be afraid of them. For there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops.… Matthew 10: 25-27
…8A wise heart will receive commandments, but foolish lips will come to ruin. 9He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.10He who winks the eye causes grief, and foolish lips will come to ruin.… Proverbs 10: 8-10
Which you will not know how to charm away - Your worldly wisdom will be of no use to the one God sends to you. He will not be flattered, will not be bought with silver and gold. He is coming with judgment.
…25When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart. 26Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.27He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.… Proverbs 26: 25-27
…16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished. 17Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.18Their bows will dash young men to pieces; they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb; they will not look with pity on the children.… Isaiah 13: 16-18 More of Isaiah 13
The rebuke of Babylon’s pride is a simple fulfillment of a principle repeated three times in the Scripture: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). - Enduring Word
12-15. Stand fast in your enchantments - Continue to trust in your sorcery and wisdom.
“For the Babylonians, sorcery also included a mood of complacency (v. 10), because the people relied on their magicians to predict the coming of the enemy and to defeat him. In Babylonia the intellectual and the magical were intertwined, the wise man being instructed in all the arts of the supernatural.” (Grogan)
…22And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again. 23 The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery. 24And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth.… Revelation 18: 22-24
Heavens, stars and new moon - In the lines before this is much sarcasm, "perhaps, perhaps". They looked to astrologers, and put a lot of weight on months of the year, as those who follow horoscopes. Trying to understand the heavens without acknowledging the Creator is futile. It is an interesting kindness of God that He has placed Daniel over these men, and when the star appears in the east, announcing the birth of Christ, for once, the wise men, they will look up in that generation and see God's message announcing the birth of His Son.
No fire to sit before - You may make light of it all you want, hell is where my friends are, it will be a great party, or as the people in Jerusalem mocked Isaiah, saying hasten to the spoil, speed to the prey. Judge us already, get it over with. But it's not like your fallen imagination thinks, it's all consuming and there will be no solace in saying this can't happen to me, God can't judge me, after all I didn't believe in Him.
