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| Photo by Jim Tracy |
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
“The enemy is coming! You better get ready.”
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
God will still punish Judah for her disobedience, just like He already has Israel.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
This will be a mighty and impressive army that invades Assyria and punishes Judah.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared.
The king of Assyria and his men will try desperately to defend the city but they won’t be able to.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
“Huzzab” means “to stand, take one’s stand, stand upright, be set (over), establish,” in other words, the defending army will be captured. The women will mourn just like Mourning Doves.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
This verse describes a panicked flight of the Assyrian army as Babylon attacked them.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
The entire city of Nineveh will be sacked; emptied of all her valuables.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
Assyria was like a large pride of lions, but she will be completely wiped out and no one will be able to find her.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
The entire civilization of Assyria was wiped out by the Babylonians. They ceased to exist. Even when an empire rose in the same geographical location (the Syrians under the Seleucid Empire), they were in no way related to ancient Assyria.