Verse 10
10. “Man proposes, God disposes.” The Chaldean disregarded the divine purpose. He thought only of his own interest and exaltation, but in doing so he prepared the way for his fall.
Consulted [“devised”] shame He sought to bring honor to his dynasty and nation; instead of realizing his ambition, his lust of conquest and rapacity will result in ruin and shame (Jeremiah 7:19). LXX. reads, “I will devise.”
By cutting off many people [“peoples”] LXX. co-ordinates this with the preceding clause and reads, “thou hast cut off many peoples.” The ordinary English translation gives good sense and is not impossible, but it would be in better accord with Hebrew usage to take the infinitive, literally, “to cut off,” as object of “devised,” so as to read “Thou hast devised shame to thy house, to cut off many peoples.”
And hast sinned against thy soul By cutting off the many peoples he expected to receive glory and honor; in reality he endangered his very existence. Soul is used, as frequently in the Old Testament, in the sense of life. Some prefer to render the words as a circumstantial clause, “while thou art sinning against thy soul.” He devised to cut off the nations, while in reality he injured himself. The construction is peculiar and the text may be corrupt, but there can be no doubt as to the general sense.
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