Then they brought the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God which [was] at Jerusalem; and the king, and his princes, his wives, and his concubines, drank in them.
Ver. 3. Then they brought the golden vessels.] Made and appointed for a better use; as were likewise much of our Church lands, vessels, and utensils, concerning which a learned man complaineth, Possidebant Papistae, possident iam rapistae. Luther cried out earnestly against this abuse in Germany, Knox in Scotland, Calvin at Geneva: I see, said he to the senate there in a sermon, that we have taken the purse from Judas and given it to the devil; neither can I endure such sacrilege, which I know God in the end will punish most severely. Belshazzar paid dear for his boosing in the bowls of the sanctuary.
And the king and his princes … drank in them.] As if they had been swine troughs. This was to outsin his father and grandfather, who yet were none of the best.