Shall judge; either,
1. Conquer and govern them; or rather,
2. Condemn and punish them, as it is explained in the following clauses, and as this word is used, Genesis 15:14 Romans 2:1,2 1 Peter 4:6, and elsewhere. The places; or, the place of battle, which is necessarily supposed in the fight, and therefore may very well be understood. Dead bodies of his enemies, slain by his hand, and lying in the field in great numbers and heaps, and that unburied, to their greater infamy. Shall wound the heads, Heb. the head; which may be understood, either,
1. Of some one person and eminent adversary of Christ, and of his kingdom; either the devil, by comparing this with Genesis 3:15 Hebrews 2:14, who was indeed the head or ruler of many countries, and indeed of all nations, except that of Israel; or the Roman empire, which was the great enemy and obstructer of Christ's kingdom, and therefore was to be destroyed by him, as is declared, Daniel 2:44,45 Daniel 7:7, &c.; or the great antichrist, or the beast after which the whole world wondered, Revelation 13:3, which Christ will destroy, as we read, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, and in divers places of St. John's Revelation. Or,
2. Of all those heads or princes which opposed him; the singular number head being here put collectively for heads, as is very usual in the Hebrew tongue and text; and so the meaning is, that none of Christ's enemies, though never so many or great, and their empire be never so large and potent, shall be able to withstand his force, or escape out of his hand; and that he shall not only destroy the common soldiers, but also their greatest commanders and princes, who in such cases do frequently make their escape. But this and the other like passages, both here and in the prophets, are not to be understood grossly and carnally, but spiritually, according to the nature of Christ's kingdom, the weapons of Christ's warfare, by which he accomplished his great works, being spiritual; and therefore such must be his battles and judgments, as is evident from many other scriptures, although these also are followed many times with temporal plagues.