Isaiah 47:7

"I was angry with my people. I profaned my inheritance and gave them into your hand. You showed them no mercy. You laid a very heavy yoke on the aged."

Key Reflection

The prophet Isaiah is addressing Babylon, specifically its ruler, in this verse (Isaiah 47:7). The original audience would have recognized that Babylon had conquered Judah and taken the Israelites into exile. The text speaks of Yahweh's anger towards his people, who were the descendants of Abraham and lived in the land promised to them by God. Despite their covenant relationship, Babylon did not treat the exiled Israelites mercifully; instead, they imposed harsh conditions upon them, as evidenced by the "very heavy yoke" placed on the elderly and infirm among the exiles. This reflects the historical context of the Babylonian captivity and highlights the severity of the judgment against Babylon for its mistreatment of a people whom Yahweh had promised to protect.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever -This passage describes the pride and self-confidence of Babylon. She was confident in her wealth; the strength of her gates and walls; and in her abundant resources to resist an enemy, or to sustain a siege. Babylon was ten miles square; and it was supposed to contain provisions enough to maintain a siege for many years. There were, moreover, no symptoms of internal decay; there were no apparent external reasons why her prosperity should not continue; there were no causes at work, which human sagacity could detect, which would prevent her continuing to any indefinite period of time.

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