Diminished thine ordinary food. — This cutting short of the power and prosperity of Israel was a discipline of correction designed to bring her to a consciousness of her sin.
The daughters of the Philistines, i.e., their cities, according to the figurative language of the chapter, and indeed the common figurative language of Scripture. Philistia was but a small power in the south-west corner of Palestine, yet from the time of the Judges down through the whole period of the monarchy, they were the persistent foes of Israel. During the time immediately before Samuel, they held nearly the entire land in subjection, and although subdued by David, they became troublesome again in the times of the later kings (see 2 Chronicles 26:7; 2 Chronicles 28:18), and are often spoken of not only by the earlier prophets, Isaiah and Amos, but also by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:20; Jeremiah 47:1; Jeremiah 47:4), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 25:15-16), and Zechariah Zechariah 9:6).
Ashamed of thy lewd way. — The Philistines, true to their own false gods, despised the Israelites for their unfaithfulness to Jehovah. It is the old but ever new story of the heathen repelled from the truth by the unworthiness of its professed followers.