John Gill Commentary


John Gill Commentary
"therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness." — Ezekiel 28:7 (ASV)
Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers upon you
The Chaldean army, who not only lived at a distance from Tyre, but were unknown to them, not trading with them; nor are they mentioned among the merchants of Tyre: these, in the mystical sense, may design the angels that shall pour out the vials on the antichristian states, the kings of Protestant nations:
the terrible of the nations ;
as the Babylonians were, very formidable to the world, having conquered many countries, and their armies consisting of men of all nations, mighty, courageous, and expert in war; and alike formidable will the Protestant princes be to the antichristian powers, when they shall with their united strength attack them:
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom ;
their beautiful city and spacious buildings, the palaces of their king and nobles, their walls and towers erected with so much art and skill; or their forces, the men of war within their city, which made their beauty complete, so well skilled in military affairs, (Ezekiel 27:10Ezekiel 27:11) , or their ships, and the merchandise of them, and the curious things brought in them: even everything that was rich and valuable, the effect of their art and wisdom: all which may be applied to the city of Rome, when it will be taken, ransacked, and burnt, (Revelation 18:8–19) :
and they shall defile your brightness ;
profane your crown, cast down your throne, destroy your kingdom, and all that is great and glorious in you; thus the whore of Rome shall be made bare and desolate, (Revelation 17:16) .
The Targum renders it,``the brightness of your terror;'' which shall no more strike the nations, or affect them.