Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts. Yahweh, who has at command all the hosts of heaven, and earth, is the righteous Author of Babylon's destruction. 'Shall not God have His turn, when cruel rapacious men have triumphed so long, though He seem now to be still?' (Calvin.)
That the people shall labour in the ... fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity? - the Chaldeans labour at what is to be food for the fire-namely, their city and fortresses, which shall be burnt. Jeremiah 51:58 adopts the same phraseology to express the vanity of the Chaldean's labour on Babylon, as doomed to the flames.