How is the gold become dim! how is the most fine gold changed! the stones of the sanctuary are poured out in the top of every street. The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter! Even the sea monsters draw out the breast, they give suck to their young ones: the daughter of my people is become cruel, like the ostriches in the wilderness. The tongue of the sucking child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst: the young children ask bread, and no man breaketh it unto them. They that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom, that was overthrown as in a moment, and no hands stayed on her. Her Nazarites were purer than snow, they were whiter than milk, they were more ruddy in body than rubies, their polishing was of sapphire: Their visage is blacker than a coal; they are not known in the streets: their skin cleaveth to their bones; it is withered, it is become like a stick. They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Never was the desolation of a kingdom mourned over with more awakened and heart-felt sorrow, than what is here done of Zion. The Prophet seems to have his whole soul going out in the most dejected state of lamentation. He takes notice of all the objects of distress, which might be supposed to call up mourning. He contrasts her former state of joy with the present dejection; and then, having raised up all the finer feelings in the view, describes the deplorable situation of misery in all its aggravated circumstances. The images are very strong. They that were fed delicately, were desolate in the streets: they that were brought up in scarlet, embraced dunghills. Yea, even the tender mother was found to have sodden her own children to abate the cravings of hunger! But amidst these strong descriptions of misery, I beg the Reader to take yet more especial notice of one, in the case of the Nazarites, which, from the connection with Him who was the One great Nazarite, and to whom the whole order acted but as types, demands our attention, the more. everything that is said here of the purity of the Nazarite, could only be said so in relation to Jesus. He, and He only, was pure, and holy, and harmless, and undefiled. The Church bare testimony to this, when she said, my beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand, Song of Solomon 5:10. Hence Matthew was commissioned to tell the Church, that the great reason intended from Christ's dwelling in Nazareth was, that he might be called a Nazarene, that is, the great Nazarite. Matthew 2:23. Thus the passage read with an eye to Christ, will be, her Nazarites in Him were purer than snow, but in themselves their visage was blacker than a coal. Recollect what Isaiah saith of Jesus, when bearing the sins of his redeemed his visage was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men, Isaiah 52:14.