He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
Ver. 5. He shall recount his worthies] Or gallants, magnificoes. These Esarhaddon, the King of Nineveh, seeing himself straitened, shall muster up, and mind of their duties; bidding them now or never play the men, since the empire was at stake.
They shall stumble in their walk] Through fearfulness and faint heartedness; according to that of the Psalmist, "The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep: and none of the men of might have found their hands. At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep," Psalms 76:5,6. God struck a terror into the Ninevites upon the first coming of the Chaldees. See Deuteronomy 11:25. Therefore there is no great credit to be given to Diodorus Siculus (cap. 7, lib. 3), who saith, that the Chaldees were thrice overcome in battle by the Assyrians, when as they came in arms to besiege Nineveh.
They shall make haste to the wall thereof] The Chaldees shall; taking advantage of the Ninevites' fear, that cowardly passion, that disarmeth and disableth a man for his own defence: or, the Assyrians shall hasten to the wall as fast as their fainting and failing legs will carry them; to try what they can do to keep out the enemy. So the Emperor of Constantinople, certainly advertised the Turks' purpose for the general assault shortly to be given, after that he had many times with tears requested to have borrowed money of his covetous subjects, to have been employed for defence of their city; he first commended himself and them to the Almighty by general fasting and prayer; and afterwards appointed every captain and commander to some certain place of the wall, for defence thereof, &c., but all in vain, as here at Nineveh.
And the defence shall be prepared] Heb. the covering or coverer, Testudo militaris. Some military engine or moveable defence.