8 All the bright lights of the sky will I make dark over you, and set darkness on your land, says the Lord Yahweh.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
And set darkness upon thy land - As I did when a former king refused to let my people go to the wilderness to worship me. I will involve thee, and thy house, and thy people, and the whole land, in desolation and wo.
All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set (g) darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
(g) By this manner of speech is meant the great sorrow that will be for the slaughter of the king and his people.
All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee,.... Or, "all the lights of the light" (a); the rest of the luminaries of heaven; the other five planets, as Kimchi, besides the sun and moon:
and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord God; as there must needs be, the sun, moon, and stars, and all the lights of heaven, being darkened above: there seems to be an allusion to the thick darkness that was formerly over the land of Egypt; and this is a figure and representation of that darkness that shall be in the kingdom of the beast, or spiritual Egypt, yet to come; see Exodus 10:21. The Targum is,
"tribulation as darkness shall cover thy land.''
(a) "omnia luminaria lucis", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius.
*More commentary available at chapter level.