Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
Prepare the table - namely, the feast in Babylon during which Cyrus opened the dykes made by Semiramis to confine the Euphrates to one channel, and suffered them to overflow the country, so that he could enter Babylon by the channel of the river.
Watch in the watch-tower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. Isaiah first represents the king ordering the feast to be gotten ready after the watch has been set. The suddenness of the irruption of the foe is graphically expressed by the rapid turn in the language to an alarm addressed to the Babylonian princes, "arise," etc. (cf. Isaiah 22:13.) Maurer translates, 'they prepare the table, they watch, etc., they eat, they drink,' on the ground that what follows does not so well cohere with the verbs taken as imperatives, the imperative mood beginning first with, "arise, ye princes," etc. But see Isaiah 8:9.
Watch in the watch-tower - rather, set the watch; literally, watch the watching; tsaapoh (H6823) hatsaapiyt (H6823). This done, they thought they might feast in entire security. Babylon had many watch-towers on its walls.
Anoint the shield - this was done to prevent the leather of the shield becoming hard and liable to crack. 'Make ready for defense:' the mention of the "shield" alone (not also offensive arms) implies that it is the Babylonian revellers who are called on to prepare for instant self-defense.