And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.
The residue ... diminished - the remnant of Arab warriors, famous in the bow, left after the invasion be small.
Remark: Treacherous dealing is sure to be repaid with treacherous dealing, and "the spoiler," soon or late, shall be 'spoiled' himself. God has his ear open to "the sighing" of the oppressed, and will in due time avenge their cause upon the oppressor. The minister of God is pained at the terrible doom of the ungodly which he has to announce, whereas the ungodly themselves remain unconcerned. The 'night of their pleasure' shall soon be turned into fear, and then their carnal security shall come to a perpetual end. The sudden capture of Babylon, on the night of a feast, when nothing could be further from the thoughts of her citizens than the possibility of so well-fortified a city being taken, vividly represents the utter unpreparedness in which most men shall be found by the Lord when He shall come. "When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape." It is the duty of the spiritual watchman to look prayerfully into the Word of God, and to discern wisely the signs of the times, so as to 'declare' to the people the approach of danger. He who would be a faithful minister must 'stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day time, and in his ward every night' (Isaiah 21:8).