Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they are not the LORD'S. Go ye up upon her walls - This is the permission and authority given to the Chaldeans to pillage Jerusalem.
Take away her battlements - Some translate נטישות netishoth, branches; others, vines. Destroy the branches, cut down the stem; but do not damage the root. Leave so many of the people that the state may be regenerated. The Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic, read, "Leave her foundations, for they are the Lord's;" and this agrees with "Destroy, but make not a full end."