A Proud Nation
Pride was a mark of the Babylonians because they considered themselves as being superior to their enemies. There was no other national military force that could withstand them when they were on the move against the nations with which they were at war. With every victory their pride grew. It was this proud spirit that led them to view their enemies as inferior to them. Arrogantly they scoffed at the kings and laughed at the rulers against whom they fought. To scoff the kings meant to regard them as being hopeless, useless, and without any backbone. They looked upon them as weaklings who had no ability to fight back and protect themselves. Their laughter showed that they treated them with contempt as being insignificant and incapable of doing anything worthwhile to stand up against them.
The Babylonians were proud of their ability to conquer the nations who thought they were well-fortified against them. Their method of attacking those nations was to build siege ramps that enabled them to gain access into the city.
10 At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.