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He proceeds with the same subject, that they refrained from no acts of injustice. It was indeed a proof of extreme barbarity not to spare women and children, for they are both weak and helpless. Their sex exempts women from violence, and their age, children. (88) Even in wars, women, and also children, escape in safety. We hence see that the Prophet, by stating a part for the whole, proves here that the people had addicted themselves to cruelty really barbarous; they were not restrained from exercising it, no, not even on women and children. Since it was so, it follows, that their boast of being the chosen people was vain and fallacious.
House of delights he ascribes to the women who, being the weaker sex, prefer being at home and in the shade, rather than going abroad. The more necessary it was that their recesses should remain safe to them. Now, what was taken away from the children, God calls it his ornament; for his blessing, poured forth on children, is the mirror of his glory: he therefore condemns this plunder as a sacrilege. The word לעולם, laoulam, designates the continuance of their crimes, as though he had said, that they were cruel without ever showing any repentance. Now it follows —
(88) This verse presents several anomalies. We have “” and the verbs in the plural, and then “” “her delights,” and “her children.” It may be thus rendered, —
The women of my people ye drive away,
Eachfrom the house of her delights;
From off her children ye take away my ornament forever.
The word rendered in our version “” is הדר, which means ornament, beauty. Piscator says, pulchras vestes quas Deus illis donavit — “ beautiful garments which God gave them.” God claimed the land of Canaan and all its blessings as his own. They took these away without restoring them according to the law. Henderson justly observes, that “” is to be taken “ for the ornamental clothes which they wore, and with which they had been provided by Jehovah.” — Ed.