And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them,
&c.] In the midst of Moab, in the midst of the enemies of the church of God; and so it denotes the utter destruction of them; for the spreading forth of the hands is to be understood of the Lord, that should do so: as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth [his hands] to swim;
signifying, that as he should exert the power of his might, in the midst of them, he should strike on both sides, as a swimmer does; and as easily and utterly destroy them as the swimmer parts the waters, and has the command of them; though some interpret this of Moab stretching out his hands as the swimmer, either in a way of submission and supplication, or as catching, as men drowning do, at anything, to save them. But the former sense agrees best with what follows: and he shall bring down their pride;
that is, God shall bring down the pride of Moab, which was notorious in them, and hateful to God, and was the cause of their ruin, ( Isaiah 16:6 ) with this compare the pride of the Romish antichrist, which God will humble, ( Revelation 17:7 Revelation 17:8 ) : together with the spoils of their hands;
which their hands are full of; and which they have spoiled or robbed others of; or, "with the wiles of their hands" F15, as some, which they had by craft and insidious methods taken from others; these shall be taken from them, and they be stripped of them; or the words may, be rendered, "with the elbows", or "armholes of his hands" F16; as the swimmer with his arms keeps the water under him, and himself above it, so the Lord with the strength of his arm would bring down and destroy those enemies of his.