What is the meaning of Isaiah 47:2? Take millstones and grind flour “Take millstones and grind flour” (Isaiah 47:2a) pictures Babylon forced into the menial labor of a slave. • Millstones were heavy, hand-turned stones used by the lowest servants (Judges 16:21; Exodus 11:5). • God is announcing that the once-luxurious city will be humbled to the status of a household maid, just as Proverbs 22:29 contrasts the diligent with those who serve in obscurity. • The Lord’s justice is consistent: those who enslaved Israel (Isaiah 14:4-6) will themselves taste servitude (Jeremiah 25:12-14). Remove your veil “Remove your veil” (Isaiah 47:2b) signals the loss of dignity. In the ancient Near East, a veil symbolized honor and separation (Genesis 24:65; Song of Songs 4:1). • Babylon’s unveiling mirrors how God “uncovers” hidden sin (Nahum 3:5). • The command exposes the empire’s pretense, fulfilling the warning of Numbers 32:23: “your sin will find you out.” • It reminds believers today that nothing remains concealed before the Lord (Hebrews 4:13). Strip off your skirt “Strip off your skirt” (Isaiah 47:2c) intensifies the shame. Royal garments once signified power (Daniel 5:29); now they are torn away. • Isaiah earlier foretold similar humiliation for Judah’s proud women (Isaiah 3:16-24); Babylon receives the same treatment she dished out. • The stripping predicts the downfall described in Revelation 18:7-8: “She says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen’… for this reason her plagues will come in one day.” • God’s righteousness equalizes the proud and the lowly (Luke 1:52). Bare your thigh “Bare your thigh” (Isaiah 47:2d) publicly disgraces the city. In Scripture, uncovering the thigh is a sign of humiliation (2 Samuel 10:4). • Babylon is exposed like a captive led away in chains (Isaiah 20:4). • The picture matches the reversal principle of Galatians 6:7: “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” • It warns nations that moral arrogance invites divine exposure (Obadiah v.3-4). Wade through the streams “…and wade through the streams” (Isaiah 47:2e) portrays forced exile. Captives often trudged barefoot through rivers on their march (Psalm 137:1). • Babylon once boasted over the Euphrates; now its people must slog through those same waters, echoing Isaiah 43:2 where God promises to be with His own in rivers of trial, but here He abandons the oppressor to judgment. • Just as Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 14:26-28), Babylon’s power melts away in the very element it trusted. summary Isaiah 47:2 unfolds a five-step descent from royal splendor to degrading servitude. Each imperative—grind, unveil, strip, bare, wade—strips Babylon of security, status, and self-glory. The passage confirms the unchanging principle that the Lord humbles the proud and exalts the humble, assuring believers that every empire opposing God will ultimately face the same righteous reversal. |
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