Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought, which say, Have we not taken to us horns by our own strength?
Ye which rejoice in a thing of nought - i:e., in your vain power, decaying empire, and fleeting riches.
Which say, Have we not taken to us horns? - i:e., acquired power, so as to conquer our neighbours-namely, under Jeroboam lI, "who restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain" (2 Kings 14:25). Horns are the Hebrew symbol of power, being the instrument of strength in many animals (Psalms 75:10, "All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off: but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted"). So Zedekiah the false prophet, in allusion to Deuteronomy 33:17 ("His (Ephraim's) horns are like the horns of unicorns; with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth"), "made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them."