He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
He that dasheth in pieces - God's "battleax" wherewith He "breaks in pieces" His enemies. Jeremiah 51:20 ("thou art my battle-ax") applies a similar Hebrew term х meepiyts (H6327), from puwts (H6327), to dash or scatter in pieces (the participle) here; mapeets (H4661), in Jeremiah 51:20, from the cognate naapats (H5310), to scatter or shiver to pieces] to Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Proverbs 25:18, "a maul;" Jeremiah 50:23, "the hammer of the whole earth"). Here the Medo-Babylonian army, under Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, that destroyed Nineveh is prophetically meant.
Is come up before thy face - before Nineveh. Openly, so that the work of God may be manifest.
Watch the way - by which the foe will attack, so as to be ready to meet him. Ironical advice; equivalent to a prophecy, Thou shalt have need to use all possible means of defense; but, use what thou wilt, all will be in vain.
Make thy loins strong - the loins are the seat of strength; to gird them up is to prepare all one's strength for conflict (Job 40:7). Also gird on thy sword (2 Samuel 20:8; 2 Kings 4:29).