Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 47:5
Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
5. get thee into darkness ] Darkness may be a symbol either of imprisonment (ch. Isa 42:7) or, more generally, of misery; Lam 3:2.
lady of kingdoms ] Lit. “mistress” (Isa 24:2). The word is used of the queen in Jer 13:18, in a connexion somewhat similar to this. Babylon is addressed as an imperial city holding the destinies of many kingdoms in her hands.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 7. The second strophe commences anew with an apostrophe to Babylon. The keynote is struck in the words “mistress of kingdoms.” She is threatened with the loss of her imperial power, because she has so grossly abused it by her cruelty to Israel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sit thou silent – The same general sentiment is expressed here as in the preceding verses, though the figure is changed. In Isa 47:1-3, Babylon is represented under the image of a frivolous and delicately-reared female, suddenly reduced from her exalted station, and compelled to engage in the most menial and laborious employment. Here she is represented as in a posture of mourning. To sit in silence is emblematic of deep sorrow, or affliction (see Lam 2:10): The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground and keep silence, they have cast up dust upon their heads; – see the note at Isa 3:26 : And she (Jerusalem) being desolate shall sit upon the ground; Job 2:13 : So they (the three friends of Job) sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him, for they saw that his grief was very great. Compare Ezr 9:4.
Get thee into darkness – That is, into a place of mourning. Persons greatly afflicted, almost as a matter of course, shut out the light from their dwellings, as emblematic of their feelings. This is common even in this country – and particularly in the city in which I write where the universal custom prevails of making a house dark during the time of mourning. Nature prompts to this, for there is an obvious similarity between darkness and sorrow. That this custom also prevailed in the East is apparent (see Lam 3:2): He hath led me, and brought me into darkness, and not into light; Mic. 8:8: When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. The idea is, that Babylon would be brought to desolation, and have occasion of sorrow, like a delicately-trained female suddenly deprived of children Isa 47:9, and that she would seek a place of darkness and silence where she might fully indulge her grief.
O daughter of the Chaldeans – (See the notes at Isa 47:1).
For thou shalt no more be called The lady of kingdoms – The magnificence, splendor, beauty, and power, which have given occasion to this appellation, and which have led the nations by common consent to give it to thee, shall be entirely and forever removed. The appellation, lady of kingdoms. is equivalent to that so often used of Rome, as the mistress of the world; and the idea is, that Babylon sustained by its power and splendor the relation of mistress, and that all other cities were regarded as servants, or as subordinate.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Sit thou silent, through grief and shame, and as mourners use to do, Job 2:13. Cease thy vaunting and insolent speeches; thou canst say nothing for thine own justification.
Get thee into darkness; thou shalt go into an obscure, disconsolate, and calamitous condition.
Thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms; the chief and glory of all kingdoms, as Isa 13:19, the most large, and potent, and glorious empire of the world, as thou hast been.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. Sitthe posture of mourning(Ezr 9:4; Job 2:13;Lam 2:10).
darknessmourning andmisery (Lam 3:2; Mic 7:8).
lady of kingdomsmistressof the world (Isa 13:19).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Sit thou silent,…. Here the speech is directed again to Babylon, which used to be a place of noise and hurry, as well as famous and much talked of all the world over; but now there should be a deep silence in it, no voice to be heard, the inhabitants being gone, and no discourse concerning it; no more talked of and celebrated for its magnificence and authority, trade and riches, but buried in oblivion. It is represented as sitting in silence, either as a mourner, or as one that is free among the dead, remembered no more:
and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans; meaning either captivity or imprisonment, prison houses being dark; or into the state of the dead, which is a state of darkness:
for thou shall no more be called the lady of kingdoms; the mistress or governess of them, as she had been, having subdued many kingdoms and nations, and added them to her monarchy, which now would be at an end. Thus mystical Babylon, or Rome, has reigned over the kings of the earth, and has been mistress over many nations; but the time is coming when she will sit in silence, and no voice will be heard in her; and when the kingdom of the beast will be full of darkness,
Re 17:15.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In the second strophe the penal sentence of Jehovah is continued. “Sit silent, and creep into the darkness, O Chaldeans-daughter! for men no longer call thee lady of kingdoms. I was wroth with my people; I polluted mine inheritance, and gave them into thy hand: thou hast shown them no mercy; upon old men thou laidst thy yoke very heavily. And thou saidst, I shall be lady for ever; so that thou didst not take these things to heart: thou didst not consider the latter end thereof.” Babylon shall sit down in silent, brooding sorrow, and take herself away into darkness, just as those who have fallen into disgrace shrink from the eyes of men. She is looked upon as an empress (Isa 13:9; the king of Babylon called himself the king of kings, Eze 26:7), who has been reduced to the condition of a slave, and durst not show herself for shame. This would happen to her, because at the time when Jehovah made use of her as His instrument for punishing His people, she went beyond the bounds of her authority, showing ho pity, and ill-treating even defenceless old men. According to Loppe, Gesenius, and Hitzig, Israel is here called zaqen , as a decayed nation awakening sympathy; but according to the Scripture, the people of God is always young, and never decays; on the contrary, its ziqnah , i.e., the latest period of its history (Isa 46:4), is to be like its youth. The words are to be understood literally, like Lam 4:16; Lam 5:12: even upon old men, Babylon had placed the heavy yoke of prisoners and slaves. But in spite of this inhumanity, it flattered itself that it would last for ever. Hitzig adopts the reading , and renders it, “To all future times shall I continue, mistress to all eternity.” This may possibly be correct, but it is by no means necessary, inasmuch as it can be shown from 1Sa 20:41, and Job 14:6, that ( is used as equivalent to , in the sense of “till the time that;” and g e bhereth , as the feminine of gabher = gebher , may be the absolute quite as well as the construct. The meaning therefore is, that the confidence of Babylon in the eternal continuance of its power was such, that “these things,” i.e., such punishments as those which were now about to fall upon it according to the prophecy, had never come into its mind; such, indeed, that it had not called to remembrance as even possible “the latter end of it,” i.e., the inevitably evil termination of its tyranny and presumption.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
5. Sit silent. He continues the same subject, and shews that the end of the Babylonian monarchy is at hand. As this appeared to be incredible, he therefore repeats the same thing by a variety of expressions, and repeats what might have been said in a few words; and thus he brings forward those lively descriptions, in order to place the event, as it were, before their eyes. When he bids her “sit” and be “silent,” it is an indication of shame or disgrace. Yet this silence may be contrasted with her former condition, while she reigned; for at that time not only did she speak loudly and authoritatively, but she cried with a loud voice, and by her commands terrified the whole of the East. But now, in consequence of the change of her condition, he bids her “sit silent;” because not only will she not venture to utter terrific words, but she will not even venture to make a gentle sound. (223) But, since he adds, enter into darkness, I willingly adopt the former view, that it denotes shame; for they whose condition has been changed for the worse shut their mouth through shame, and scarcely venture to whisper.
For it shall no longer be. We know that the Babylonian monarchy was very widely extended, and exercised dominion over large and numerous countries; for it was the chief of many kingdoms. On this account the captive people needed to be fortified by these promises, and to be forewarned of her fall, that they might entertain assured hope of deliverance
(223) “ Tant s’en faut qu’elle ose tonner si haut que de coustume, que mesmes elle n’osera desserrer les dents.” “So far as she is from venturing to sound as loudly as she was wont to do, that she will not even venture to open her teeth.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
5. Sit thou silent The prophet spoke, in preceding verse, in his own person. He now speaks in God’s name. He uses imperatives. Hebraistically these are predictives, the same as, Sit thou silent: lady (or mistress) of kingdoms thou shalt no more be called.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘Sit there silently, and get into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans,
For you will no more be called ‘the Lady of the kingdoms’.’
Here Babylon is depicted as being degraded and becoming like a lowly ladies’ maid or servant who is dismissed to sit quietly in the darkness, away from the lighting, until bidden, and is not allowed the luxury of sharing the bright lighting. She is excluded from the inner circle. Thus Babylon is no longer to be the proud ‘Lady of the kingdoms’, feted by all. She is to lose her position, her luxuries and her privilege. She is to be humiliated and to become a serving woman. And in the end her silence and darkness will be permanent.
Others see ‘silence’ as signifying loss of authority and therefore of a right to speak, with darkness possibly indicating imprisonment.
(Some see ‘darkness’ as always referring to Babylon in this section (see Isa 42:7; Isa 45:19) but it is difficult to see how that is so here. It could be seen as indicating exile, away from the land of light, but why should Babylon be the land of light? It is far better to see it as a general expression of lack of what is good or as lack of light).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 47:5. Sit thou silent, &c. See ch. Isa 13:19 Isa 14:4. Bishop Newton observes, that after this destruction Babylon never recovered its ancient splendor: From an imperial it became a tributary city; from being governed by its own kings, and governing strangers, it came itself to be governed by strangers; and, the seat of empire being transferred to Shushan, it decayed by degrees, till it was at last reduced to utter desolation. Dissert. vol. 1: p. 293.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
The subject is again resumed at this verse, and, under the image of Babylon, the silence and darkness, in which the enemies of God and of his Christ shall be finally shut up, are set forth.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 47:5 Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
Ver. 5. Sit thou silent. ] Here he threateneth Babylon with loss of her former fame; she shall be buried in obscurity and oblivion, as out of sight and out of mind, no longer called the ‘lady of kingdoms,’ but a wretched drudge, ut de Hecuba tradunt tragici.
For thou shalt no more be called.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
lady of kingdoms = mistress of the kingdoms. The king of Babylon called himself “the King Vicar” Compare Eze 26:7. Dan 2:37. So the popes name themselves, and are so addressed when crowned. Compare Rev 18:7.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
silent: Isa 13:20, Isa 14:23, 1Sa 2:9, Psa 31:17, Psa 46:10, Jer 25:10, Lam 1:1, Hab 2:20, Zec 2:13, Mat 22:12, Mat 22:13, Jud 1:13, Rev 18:21-24
for: After Babylon was taken by Cyrus, instead of being “the lady of kingdoms,” the metropolis of a great empire, and mistress of all the East, it became subject to the Persians; and the imperial seat being removed to Susa, instead of having a king, it had only a deputy residing there, who governed it as a province of the Persian empire. Isa 47:7, Isa 13:19, Isa 14:4, Dan 2:37, Dan 2:38, Rev 17:3-5, Rev 17:18, Rev 18:7, Rev 18:16-19
Reciprocal: 2Ki 19:21 – the daughter Isa 23:2 – still Isa 23:12 – thou oppressed Jer 30:16 – General Jer 51:53 – mount Jer 51:55 – destroyed Lam 2:10 – elders Mic 7:10 – she that
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 47:5-6. Sit thou silent Through grief and shame, and as mourners used to do, Job 2:13. Cease thy vaunting and insolent speeches. And get thee into darkness Thou shalt go into an obscure, disconsolate, and calamitous condition. Thou shalt no more be the lady of kingdoms The chief and glory of all kingdoms; the most large, potent, and glorious empire of the world, as thou hast been. I was wroth with my people The metaphor in this verse, says Vitringa, is taken from a father, who, being angry with his children, delivers them up to chastisement; but his anger soon subsiding, and his affection reviving, he turns his indignation against those who had so executed his commands, as to punish immoderately and severely. I have polluted mine inheritance I cast them away as an unclean thing; I stained their glory; I removed them from the place of my presence and worship; I banished them into a polluted land, among unclean persons, by whom they were many ways defiled. And given them into thy hand To punish them. Thou didst show them no mercy Thou hast exceeded the bounds of thy commission, and, instead of that compassion which humanity teaches men to show to such as are in misery, thou didst exercise toward them the greatest cruelty. Upon the ancient The old and feeble, whose venerable gray hairs should have been their sufficient protection; hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke Not considering that, besides the calamity of being made captives, they were afflicted with the miseries of old age, and therefore required both thy pity and reverence. It is justly observed here by Bishop Lowth, that God, in the course of his providence, makes use of great conquerors and tyrants, as his instruments, to execute his judgments in the earth: he employs one wicked nation to scourge another. The inflicter of the punishment may, perhaps, be as culpable as the sufferer, and may add to his guilt by indulging his cruelty in executing Gods justice. When he has fulfilled the work to which divine vengeance has ordained him, he will become himself the object of it: see Isa 10:5-12. God charges the Babylonians, though employed by himself to chastise his people, with cruelty in regard to them. They exceeded the bounds of justice and humanity in oppressing and destroying them; and though they were really executing the righteous decree of God, yet, as far as it regarded themselves, they were only indulging their own ambition and violence.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
47:5 {g} Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
(g) For shame, and hide yourself.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The sins of Babylon 47:5-11
The Lord became more specific about Babylon’s sins and the reasons He intended to punish her in the following pericope (Isa 47:5-11).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Babylon would no longer be the queen of the nations, having many other kingdoms under her authority. Rather than enjoying the public activity and prominence that go with being a leader, Babylon would find herself sitting in silence and darkness.
"From the blare of world publicity and the glare of the palace lights to the silence of obscurity (Isa 47:5)!" [Note: Grogan, p. 277.]