44. Behold. Verses 44-46 are almost identical with 49:19-21, where the words are applied to Edom (see comments there).
1. Midst of them. leb qamay, “the heart [or midst] of those who rise up against me,” a fitting description of the Babylonians in their rebellion against the Lord. This expression has added significance in that it appears to be an ancient Jewish cipher of the type known as atbash, a device in which the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet was substituted for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. By this scheme the consonants of the expression leb qamay become Kasdim, the Hebrew form for Chaldeans. Thus the translates, “against the inhabitants of Chaldea.” For other examples of the cipher see on 25:25, 26; 51:41.
Destroying wind. Or, “the spirit of a destroyer” (). However, in view of the mention of “fanners” ( 2) the context seems to suggest that the translation of the is to be preferred.