John Gill Commentary Isaiah 47:15

John Gill Commentary

Isaiah 47:15

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Isaiah 47:15

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"Thus shall the things be unto thee wherein thou hast labored: they that have trafficked with thee from thy youth shall wander every one to his quarter; there shall be none to save thee." — Isaiah 47:15 (ASV)

Thus shall they be unto you with whom you have laboured ,
&c.] In training them up in those arts, and in consulting with them in cases of difficulty; in which they were of no service, and now in time of danger as useless as stubble, or a blaze of straw: even your merchants from your youth ;
either the above astrologers and diviners, who had been with them from the beginning of their state; and who had made merchandise of them, and were become rich as merchants by telling fortunes, and predicting things to come by the stars; which sense our version leads to by supplying the word "even"; or rather merchants in a literal sense, which Babylon abounded with from the first building of it; it being the metropolis of the empire, and the mart of nations.

These, upon the destruction of the city, shall wander everyone to his quarter ,
or "passage" F25 ; to the country from where they came, and to the passage in that part of the city which led unto it; or to the passage over the river Euphrates, which ran through the city; or to the next port, from where they might have a passage by shipping to their own land: it denotes the fright and fugitive state in which merchants, from other countries, should be in, when this calamity should come upon Babylon; that they should leave their effects, flee for their lives, and wander about till they got a passage over to their native place, and be of no service to the Chaldeans, as follows:

none shall save you :
neither astrologers nor merchants; so the merchants of mystical Babylon will get without the city, and stand afar off, and lament her sad case, but will not be able to help her, (Revelation 18:15) .


FOOTNOTES:

  • F25: (wrbel) "ad vel in transitum suum", Tigurine version.