They were the scourge of God upon the aborigines of the continent.是什么意思？

They were the scourge of God upon the aborigines of the continent.

他们是上帝降在美洲土著当中的灾难.

they

pron. 他/她/它们，人们，大家，政府，当局，她们；

例句
The storms had abated by the time they rounded Cape Horn.
他们绕过合恩角时，暴风雨已经减弱。

were

be的过去时复数和第二人称单数形式，有时代替 was,用于条件从句、动词 wish 之后等；

例句
Shops, houses, and vehicles were set ablaze.
店铺、房子和车辆全都陷于火海。

the

art. 指已提到的人（物），指说话人与听者已知的人（物），用于独一无二的事物前，与形容词最高级和序数词连用；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

scourge

n. 天灾，灾难，鞭子，苦难的根源；vt. 鞭打，重惩，重责，使痛苦，严惩；

例句
Farmers don't need much prompting to tell you that 'flaming dog owners' are the scourge of their lives.
不用怎么提示农场主们就会告诉你，“该死的养狗人”是他们生活的灾星。

of

prep. 关于，属于…的，由…制成；aux. 助动词 [非标准用语、方言] =have [主用于虚拟语气]；

例句
He did have a real knowledge of the country...
他对该国的确知之甚多。

god

n. 上帝，造物主，被极度崇敬的人[物]，男神，戏院顶层楼座观众；vt. 膜拜，崇拜；

例句
I have given thanks to God for delivering me from that pain.
我感谢上帝把我从那种痛苦中拯救出来。

upon

prep. 在…上面，当…时候；

例句
...the doctrine of absolute monarchy based upon divine right.
以神权为基础的君主专制学说

aborigines

n. （尤指澳大利亚的）土著居民，蕃，土人，土产；

例句
The visitor can ponder over the boomerangs used by aborigines at the time of Cook.
来访者可以琢磨琢磨土著人在库克时期用的回飞镖.

continent

n. 大陆，陆地，欧洲大陆，洲；

例句
The title track is a pointed meditation on a continent gone wrong.
主打歌是对一个误入歧途的大陆的深刻沉思。