Ecclesiasticus 14:23

Nova Vulgata

et ponam eam in possessionem ericii et in paludes aquarum, et scopabo eam in scopa destructionis", dicit Dominus exercituum.

Parallel Translations

Clementine Latin Vulgate (1592)
et ponam eam in possessionem ericii, et in paludes aquarum, et scopabo eam in scopa terens, dicit Dominus exercituum.

Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405)
et ponam eam in possessionem ericii,
et in paludes aquarum,
et scopabo eam in scopa terens,
dicit Dominus exercituum.]

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

make: Isaiah 13:21, Isaiah 13:22, Isaiah 34:11-15, Jeremiah 50:39, Jeremiah 50:40, Jeremiah 51:42, Jeremiah 51:43, Zephaniah 2:14, Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:21-23

I will sweep: 1 Kings 14:10, 2 Kings 21:13, Jeremiah 51:25, Jeremiah 51:26

Reciprocal: Job 12:14 - he breaketh Psalms 9:6 - memorial Psalms 149:9 - to execute Isaiah 13:20 - General Isaiah 21:1 - the desert Isaiah 25:2 - For Isaiah 25:12 - to the dust Isaiah 27:7 - he smitten Isaiah 32:19 - the city shall be low Isaiah 47:5 - silent Isaiah 47:9 - they shall come Jeremiah 25:12 - perpetual Jeremiah 27:7 - until Jeremiah 49:33 - a dwelling Jeremiah 50:26 - destroy Jeremiah 51:29 - every Jeremiah 51:37 - become Jeremiah 51:62 - to cut Nahum 2:10 - empty

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I will also make it a possession for the bittern,.... Instead of being possessed by any of the family of the king of Babylon. The "bittern" is a kind of water fowl, which, by putting its bill into mire, or a broken reed, is said to make a most horrible noise. Some think the "owl" is meant, which dwells in desolate and ruinous places; and others take it to be the "ospray", a sort of eagle that preys upon fish and ducks; according to Kimchi, the "tortoise" is meant; some will have it that the "beaver" or castor is intended; Jarchi understands it of the porcupine or "hedgehog"; and in the Arabic language this creature is called "kunphud", which is pretty near the Hebrew word "kippod", here used; to which Bochartus agrees; but, whatever creature is meant, the design is to show that Babylon should not be inhabited by men, but by birds or beasts of prey, or noxious animals; and so mystical Babylon is said to be a cage of every unclean and hateful bird, Revelation 18:2:

and pools of water; Babylon being situated in a marshy ground, and by the river Euphrates; and when that river was turned by Cyrus i, and afterwards its banks neglected, in course of time the water overflowed the place where the city was, and all about it, and so easily came to be what is here predicted it should; see Revelation 18:21:

and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts; and so clear it at once of all its inhabitants, wealth, and riches, and entirely remove its large walls and stately buildings, no more to be seen, just as a house is swept clean of all its dust; intimating, that this superb city, and all belonging to it, should be reduced to dust, and be as easily swept away as dust is with a besom. The word for "sweep", and a "besom", is only used in this place, and has this signification in the Arabic language; it is said in the Talmud k, that the Rabbins knew not the meaning of this word, till they heard an Arabian girl say to her fellow servant,

"take this besom, and sweep the house.''

expressing the word here used.

i Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 7. c. 23. k Roshhashana, fol. 26. 2. Megilla, fol. 18. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I will also make it a possession for the bittern - The word ‘bittern,’ in English, means a bird with long legs and neck, that stalks among reeds and sedge, feeding upon fish. The Hebrew word (קפד qı̂ppod), occurs but five times Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14. According to Bochart and Gesenius, it means the hedgehog. It has been variously rendered. Some have supposed it to be a land animal; some an aquatic animal; and most have regarded it as a fowl. Bochart has proved that the hedgehog or porcupine is found on the shores of the Euphrates. He translates this place, ‘I will place Babylon for an habitation of the porcupine, even the pools of water;’ that is, the pools that are round about Babylon shall become so dry that porcupines may dwell there (see Bochart, “Hieroz.” iii. 36. pp. 1036-1042).

And pools of water - Bochart supposes this means, even the pools of water shall become dry. But the common interpretation is to be preferred, that Babylon itself should become filled with pools of water. This was done by Cyrus’ directing the waters of the Euphrates from their channel when the city was taken, and by the fact that the waters never returned again to their natural bed, so that the region was overflowed with water (see the notes at Isaiah 13:0.)

And I will sweep it with the besom of destruction - A besom is a broom; and the sense here is, that God would entirely destroy Babylon, and render it wholly uninbabitable.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 14:23. I will sweep it with the besom of destruction - "I will plunge it in the miry gulf of destruction"] I have here very nearly followed the Version of the Septuagint; the reasons for which see in the last note on De Poesi Hebr. Praelect, xxviii.

The besom of destruction, as our Version renders it. במטאטא bematate. This, says Kimchi, is a Chaldee word: and it is worthy of remark that the prophet, writing to the Chaldeans, uses several words peculiar to their own language to point out the nature of the Divine judgments, and the causes of them. Jeremiah 10:11. Sixteen of Kennicott's MSS., and seventeen of De Rossi's, and one ancient of my own, have the word במטאטי bematatey, in the plural. "I will sweep her with the besoms of destruction."