Thou shalt take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and shalt say: How is the oppressor come to nothing, the tribute hath ceased?
וְנָשָׂ֜אתָ הַמָּשָׁ֥ל הַזֶּ֛ה עַל־מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל וְאָמָ֑רְתָּ אֵ֚יךְ שָׁבַ֣ת נֹגֵ֔שׂ שָׁבְתָ֖ה מַדְהֵבָֽה׃
7 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Aquila illustrates more vividly how hell halted its efforts upon witnessing His anguish, as seen in the Babylonian text. According to Isaiah 14:9, they were filled with rage. However, Aquila notes that they were inwardly distressed. Simmachus describes them as being stirred, while Theodotion emphasizes their fury directed both at that adversary and at death.
He states that the Babylonians along with Nebuchadnezzar will endure profound hardships as a result of warfare, leading even their adversaries to lament their fate. Those who have endured unbearable sufferings inflicted by them are unlikely to celebrate their downfall; rather, they will ultimately experience sorrow. The overwhelming misfortunes they have faced will evoke pity, and in another sense, they will grieve for the fallen, showcasing not just sorrow but also a sense of joy, while ridiculing those who have unexpectedly met destruction. Hence, he expresses his own grief for them and simultaneously offers a fitting song for the occasion.
He asks, "How shall the oppressor cease?" Using a gentler term, he speaks of "perished" and "ceased to exist." He describes the Babylonian, who, due to his excessive arrogance, imposed a heavy burden not only on nearby nations but also demanded tribute and taxes from the most distant cities and lands. Thus, one wonders how such a powerful oppressor could have ceased the actions of the tyrannical hand that dominated everything.
and collectively, the counsel is to show compassion, to mourn for the king of Babylon, and not to take pleasure in his downfall, but to lament for him as one who has endured trials deserving of pity and grace.
Deliver this allegory to the monarch of Babylon. The Almighty will shatter the scepter of the mighty and the staff of the authority. Embrace this parable, for it will evolve into a saying, passed down through generations, and future descendants will proclaim, ‘The Lord has dismantled the reign of Babylon, rendering the might of its youth powerless.’
How was the oppressor vanquished, and how did the burdens cease? The Lord shattered the staff of the wicked and the scepter of rulers, which struck the nations in wrath, inflicting wounds that did not heal, and crushed he who had subjugated the nations in fury and cruelly pursued them: he was rendered powerless and silent; the entire earth erupted in joy and celebration. These are the lamentations of regretful Israel, as the former ruler and conqueror, who had devastated all with his oppressive taxes, is rendered to nothingness.
I speak of he who was the staff of the wicked, the symbol of royal authority, who struck out fiercely against all, whose blows were intolerable, who relentlessly chased even those who sought refuge—how is it that he became humble and quiet, leading the whole earth to echo a song of jubilant delight?
The Lord has shattered the rod of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, which attacks the nations in fury with blows that are inescapable, enslaving them with its wrath, and casting them into cruel persecution. In the epistle of Peter, it is written, "It is time to begin judgment at the house of God" (1 Pet. 4:17). In Ezekiel, it is declared to the tormentors: "Begin at my sanctuary" (Ezekiel 9:6). For the order of judgment is distributed according to the degree of sin committed, ensuring that those who have sinned less are first cleansed, while death, as the final enemy, will ultimately be vanquished. When Israel was liberated from severe bondage, he proclaimed a riddle against the king of Babylon, understood as a symbol; for if it concerns Nebuchadnezzar, and the account is historical, then how can something that is not juxtaposed with another be deemed a parable? Thus, Israel marvels at the tormentor, once accustomed to recovery through anguish, now rendered powerless. But he did not inflict pain on all, only on debtors, who plead in the Lord’s Prayer: "Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). To this executor of torment, the debtors are handed over by the judge, who confines them to prison and punishes them for all their transgressions, down to the slightest. Ultimately, the apostle Paul handed over the fornicating man from Corinth, who took his father’s wife, as well as Figellus and Hermogenes (1 Cor. 5; 2 Tim. 1). It is also stated of these oppressors, "My people, your oppressors are plundering you, and those who demand repayment rule over you." In place of a provision from Aquila, there is famine. For since the bridegroom is taken from us, we endure a dearth of the Word of God and are continually deprived of the body of the Lord. Therefore, we are beaten and oppressed by the rod and staff of the wicked, identified by the Seventy as a yoke; for we have been unwilling to bear the lightest yoke, the yoke of the Savior. With this rod and with this staff, he struck the nations with relentless fury, and violently pursued those who fled, seeking not to restore the fallen but to bring about their demise.
This is specifically directed at a tyrant—unashamed and contrary to God, as noted by Isaiah—something we will demonstrate further on.
The Lord Jesus has shattered the oppressors' authority, as noted by Isaiah: "As the tormentor is gone, the taxes are cut off, the rod of the wicked is broken!" (Is. 14:4). Therefore, Christians must be vigilant, as the tormentors who have been expelled through divine grace may attempt to rise once more, seeking to impose burdens upon themselves through the corrupt outcomes of the spirit.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS