Thou therefore, son of man, prophesy, and smite thine hands together, and let the sword be doubled the third time, the sword of the slain: it is the sword of the great men that are slain, which entereth into their privy chambers.
Smite thine hands together - (Numbers 24:10) indicative of the indignant fury with which God will "smite" the people.
Let the sword be doubled the third time - referring to the three-fold calamity:
(1) The taking of Zedekiah (to whom the "rod" or sceptre may refer); (1) The taking of Zedekiah (to whom the "rod" or sceptre may refer);
(2) The taking of the city;
(3) The removal of all those who remained with Gedaliah.
"Doubled" means 'multiplied' or 'repeated.' The strokes shall be doubled even trebled. Compare 2 Kings 13:17-18, where Joash smote thrice with the arrows, and then stayed through unbelief.
The sword of the slain - i:e., the sword by which many are slain.
It is the sword of the great men that are slain. Since the Hebrew is singular х chaalaal (H2491) hagaadowl (H1419)], Fairbairn makes it refer to the king. The English version takes the singular as used collectively for the plural-a frequeut Hebrew usage-`the sword of the great one that is slain' or 'pierced through.'
Which entereth into their privy chambers - (Jeremiah 9:21). The sword shall overtake them, not merely in the open battlefield, but in the chambers where they flee to hide themselves (1 Kings 20:30; 1 Kings 22:35). Maurer translates х hachoderet (H2314) laahem (H3807a), from cheder, in the Aramaic sense, an enclosure], 'which besiegth them;' Fairbairn, 'which penetrates to them.' The English version is more literal [from cheder, in the ordinary sense, 'a privy chamber,' whence the verb means 'penetrates to them, even into the privy chamber'].