Jeremiah 50

A Message About Babylon

1 This is the word the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Babylonians^[a] :

2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.’

3 A nation from the north will attack her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.

4 “In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “the people of Israel and the people of Judah together will go in tears to seek the LORD their God.

5 They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and bind themselves to the LORDin an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten.

6 “My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place.

7 Whoever found them devoured them; their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they sinned against the LORD, their verdant pasture, the LORD, the hope of their ancestors.’

8 “Flee out of Babylon; leave the land of the Babylonians, and be like the goats that lead the flock.

9 For I will stir up and bring against Babylon an alliance of great nations from the land of the north. They will take up their positions against her, and from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.

10 So Babylonia^[b] will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,” declares the LORD.

11 “Because you rejoice and are glad, you who pillage my inheritance, because you frolic like a heifer threshing grain and neigh like stallions,

12 your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who gave you birth will be disgraced. She will be the least of the nations— a wilderness, a dry land, a desert.

13 Because of the LORD’s anger she will not be inhabited but will be completely desolate. All who pass Babylon will be appalled; they will scoff because of all her wounds.

14 “Take up your positions around Babylon, all you who draw the bow. Shoot at her! Spare no arrows, for she has sinned against the LORD.

15 Shout against her on every side! She surrenders, her towers fall, her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take vengeance on her; do to her as she has done to others.

16 Cut off from Babylon the sower, and the reaper with his sickle at harvest. Because of the sword of the oppressor let everyone return to their own people, let everyone flee to their own land.

17 “Israel is a scattered flock that lions have chased away. The first to devour them was the king of Assyria; the last to crush their bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”

18 Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.

19 But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.

20 In those days, at that time,” declares the LORD, “search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.

21 “Attack the land of Merathaim and those who live in Pekod. Pursue, kill and completely destroy^[c] them,” declares the LORD. “Do everything I have commanded you.

22 The noise of battle is in the land, the noise of great destruction!

23 How broken and shattered is the hammer of the whole earth! How desolate is Babylon among the nations!

24 I set a trap for you, Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it; you were found and captured because you opposed the LORD.

25 The LORD has opened his arsenal and brought out the weapons of his wrath, for the Sovereign LORD Almighty has work to do in the land of the Babylonians.

26 Come against her from afar. Break open her granaries; pile her up like heaps of grain. Completely destroy her and leave her no remnant.

27 Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter! Woe to them! For their day has come, the time for them to be punished.

28 Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon declaring in Zion how the LORD our God has taken vengeance, vengeance for his temple.

29 “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her for her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.

30 Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets; all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,” declares the LORD.

31 “See, I am against you, you arrogant one,” declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty, “for your day has come, the time for you to be punished.

32 The arrogant one will stumble and fall and no one will help her up; I will kindle a fire in her towns that will consume all who are around her.”

33 This is what the LORD Almighty says: “The people of Israel are oppressed, and the people of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to let them go.

34 Yet their Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name. He will vigorously defend their cause so that he may bring rest to their land, but unrest to those who live in Babylon.

35 “A sword against the Babylonians!” declares the LORD— “against those who live in Babylon and against her officials and wise men!

36 A sword against her false prophets! They will become fools. A sword against her warriors! They will be filled with terror.

37 A sword against her horses and chariots and all the foreigners in her ranks! They will become weaklings. A sword against her treasures! They will be plundered.

38 A drought on^[d] her waters! They will dry up. For it is a land of idols, idols that will go mad with terror.

39 “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.

40 As I overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighboring towns,” declares the LORD, “so no one will live there; no people will dwell in it.

41 “Look! An army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are being stirred up from the ends of the earth.

42 They are armed with bows and spears; they are cruel and without mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses; they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Babylon.

43 The king of Babylon has heard reports about them, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.

44 Like a lion coming up from Jordan’s thickets to a rich pastureland, I will chase Babylon from its land in an instant. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? Who is like me and who can challenge me? And what shepherd can stand against me?”

45 Therefore, hear what the LORD has planned against Babylon, what he has purposed against the land of the Babylonians: The young of the flock will be dragged away; their pasture will be appalled at their fate.

46 At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will tremble; its cry will resound among the nations.

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Jeremiah 50 Commentary

Chapter 50

The ruin of Babylon. (1-3,8-16,21-32,35-46;) The redemption of God's people. (4-7,17-20,33,34)

Verses 1-7 The king of Babylon was kind to Jeremiah, yet the prophet must foretell the ruin of that kingdom. If our friends are God's enemies, we dare not speak peace to them. The destruction of Babylon is spoken of as done thoroughly. Here is a word for the comfort of the Jews. They shall return to their God first, then to their own land; the promise of their conversion and reformation makes way for the other promises. Their tears flow not from the sorrow of the world, as when they went into captivity, but from godly sorrow. They shall seek after the Lord as their God, and have no more to do with idols. They shall think of returning to their own country. This represents the return of poor souls to God. In true converts there are sincere desires to attain the end, and constant cares to keep in the way. Their present case is lamented as very sad. The sins of professing Christians never will excuse those who rejoice in destroying them.

Verses 8-20 The desolation that shall be brought upon Babylon is set forth in a variety of expressions. The cause of this destruction is the wrath of the Lord. Babylon shall be wholly desolated; for she hath sinned against the Lord. Sin makes men a mark for the arrows of God's judgments. The mercy promised to the Israel of God, shall not only accompany, but arise from the destruction of Babylon. These sheep shall be gathered from the deserts, and put again into good pasture. All who return to God and their duty, shall find satisfaction of soul in so doing. Deliverances out of trouble are comforts indeed, when fruits of the forgiveness of sin.

Verses 21-32 The forces are mustered and empowered to destroy Babylon. Let them do what God demands, and they shall bring to pass what he threatens. The pride of men's hearts sets God against them, and ripens them apace for ruin. Babylon's pride must be her ruin; she has been proud against the Holy One of Israel; who can keep those up whom God will throw down?

Verses 33-46 It is Israel's comfort in distress, that, though they are weak, their Redeemer is strong. This may be applied to believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Their Redeemer is able to keep what they commit to him; and sin shall not have dominion over them. He will give them that rest which remains for the people of God. Also here is Babylon's sin, and their punishment. The sins are, idolatry and persecution. He that will not save his people in their sins, never will countenance the wickedness of his open enemies. The judgments of God for these sins will lay them waste. In the judgments denounced against prosperous Babylon, and the mercies promised to afflicted Israel, we learn to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 140

1. S Genesis 10:10; S Psalms 137:8; Isaiah 13:1
2. S Deuteronomy 30:4; Jeremiah 4:16
3. S Psalms 20:5; S Isaiah 13:2
4. ver 9; Jeremiah 51:31
5. S Isaiah 21:9; S Isaiah 46:1
6. Psalms 97:7; Jeremiah 51:52
7. ver 38; Isaiah 46:6; Jeremiah 51:47
8. S Leviticus 26:30
9. S ver 26; S Isaiah 41:25; S Jeremiah 25:26
10. S ver 13; S Isaiah 14:22-23; S Jeremiah 9:11
11. Zephaniah 1:3
12. S Jeremiah 3:18; Ezekiel 37:22; Hosea 1:11
13. S Ezra 3:12; Jeremiah 31:9
14. S Isaiah 9:13; Ezekiel 37:17; Hosea 3:5
15. S Isaiah 11:16; S Jeremiah 31:21
16. S 1 Samuel 29:1; Jeremiah 33:7
17. S Deuteronomy 29:14; Isaiah 55:3; Jeremiah 32:40; Hebrews 8:6-10
18. S Psalms 119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 9:36; Matthew 10:6
19. S Jeremiah 2:8; S Jeremiah 10:21
20. S Psalms 95:10; Jeremiah 23:32; Ezekiel 13:10
21. Jeremiah 3:6; Ezekiel 34:6
22. ver 19
23. S Jeremiah 5:17; Jeremiah 10:25; Ezekiel 35:12
24. Jeremiah 2:3
25. S Jeremiah 14:8
26. S Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 51:6; Revelation 18:4
27. ver 28
28. S Isaiah 13:17
29. S Jeremiah 25:14
30. S Isaiah 41:25; S Jeremiah 25:26
31. S ver 2
32. S Isaiah 13:18
33. Isaiah 47:11; S Jeremiah 30:16
34. S Isaiah 47:6
35. S Jeremiah 31:18
36. Jeremiah 51:47
37. ver 13; S Isaiah 21:1; Jeremiah 25:12; Jeremiah 51:26
38. ver 3,S 12; S Jeremiah 9:11; Jeremiah 48:9; Jeremiah 51:62
39. Jeremiah 51:41
40. S Jeremiah 18:16; Jeremiah 51:37; Ezekiel 27:36; Habakkuk 2:6
41. S Deuteronomy 29:22; Jeremiah 49:17
42. ver 29,42
43. S Isaiah 13:18
44. Jeremiah 51:14
45. S 2 Kings 25:4; S Jeremiah 51:44,58
46. ver 28; S Isaiah 10:3; Isaiah 63:4; Jeremiah 51:6
47. ver 29; Psalms 137:8; Revelation 18:6
48. Jeremiah 51:24; Habakkuk 2:7-8
49. S Jeremiah 25:38
50. S Isaiah 13:14
51. Jeremiah 51:9
52. S Leviticus 26:33; S Psalms 119:176
53. S 2 Kings 24:1; S Jeremiah 2:15
54. S Jeremiah 5:17
55. S Deuteronomy 4:27; S 2 Kings 15:29; 2 Kings 17:6
56. S Numbers 24:8; Lamentations 3:4
57. Jeremiah 51:34; 2 Kings 24:10,14
58. S 2 Kings 24:17; S 2 Kings 25:7
59. S Isaiah 10:12
60. Ezekiel 31:3; Zephaniah 2:13
61. S Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:13
62. Jeremiah 31:14
63. S Jeremiah 31:5; Jeremiah 33:12
64. Micah 7:14; Zechariah 10:10
65. S Psalms 17:3
66. Psalms 103:12; S Isaiah 38:17; Ezekiel 33:16; Micah 7:18,19; Zechariah 3:4,9
67. S Isaiah 33:24; Jeremiah 31:34
68. S Genesis 45:7; Isaiah 1:9; Isaiah 10:20-22; S Romans 9:27
69. Ezekiel 23:23
70. Jeremiah 4:19-21; Jeremiah 51:54
71. S Isaiah 10:5
72. Jeremiah 51:25
73. S Isaiah 14:16
74. Jeremiah 51:12; Daniel 5:30-31
75. Jeremiah 51:31
76. Job 9:4
77. S Isaiah 13:5
78. Jeremiah 51:25,55
79. ver 3,41; Jeremiah 51:11
80. S Ruth 3:7
81. S Isaiah 14:22-23
82. S Psalms 68:30; Jeremiah 48:15
83. S Isaiah 30:25; S Jeremiah 25:34
84. S Job 18:20
85. Jeremiah 51:6
86. ver 8
87. Isaiah 48:20; Jeremiah 51:10
88. S ver 15
89. 2 Kings 24:13; Jeremiah 51:11; Jeremiah 52:13
90. S ver 14
91. S Isaiah 13:18; Jeremiah 51:3
92. S Deuteronomy 32:41; S Job 21:19; S Jeremiah 51:6; Revelation 18:6
93. Jeremiah 51:56; Ezekiel 35:11; Obadiah 1:15
94. S Isaiah 14:13-14; Isaiah 47:10; Daniel 5:23
95. Psalms 78:41; Isaiah 41:20; Jeremiah 51:5
96. S Isaiah 13:18; Jeremiah 49:26
97. S Jeremiah 21:13
98. S Job 18:20; Revelation 18:7-8
99. S Psalms 119:21
100. S Psalms 20:8
101. Amos 5:2
102. S Jeremiah 21:14; Jeremiah 49:27
103. Isaiah 58:6
104. S Isaiah 14:17
105. S Exodus 6:6; S Job 19:25
106. Jeremiah 31:35; Jeremiah 51:19
107. S Psalms 119:154; S Isaiah 49:25; Jeremiah 15:21; Jeremiah 51:36; Lamentations 3:58
108. S Isaiah 14:7
109. S Jeremiah 47:6
110. S Isaiah 45:1
111. Daniel 5:7
112. S Jeremiah 49:22
113. Jeremiah 51:30,32
114. S 2 Kings 19:23; Jeremiah 51:21
115. S Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 51:30; Nahum 3:13
116. S Isaiah 45:3
117. Psalms 137:1; Jeremiah 51:13
118. S Isaiah 11:15; Jeremiah 51:36
119. S ver 2
120. S Psalms 74:14
121. Isaiah 13:19-22; Isaiah 34:13-15; Jeremiah 51:37; Revelation 18:2
122. S Genesis 19:24; S Matthew 10:15
123. Jeremiah 51:62
124. S ver 26; S Isaiah 41:25; Jeremiah 6:22
125. S Isaiah 13:17
126. S Isaiah 13:4; Jeremiah 51:22-28
127. S ver 14
128. S Job 30:21
129. S Isaiah 13:18
130. S Isaiah 5:30
131. S Isaiah 47:1; Jeremiah 6:23
132. S Jeremiah 47:3
133. Jeremiah 6:22-24
134. S Jeremiah 12:5
135. S Numbers 16:5
136. S Job 41:10; Isaiah 46:9; S Jeremiah 49:19
137. Psalms 33:11; Isaiah 14:24; Jeremiah 51:11
138. S Isaiah 48:14
139. S Judges 5:4; S Jeremiah 49:21
140. S Job 24:12; Revelation 18:9-10

Footnotes 4

[a]. Or "Chaldeans" ; also in verses 8, 25, 35 and 45
[b]. Or "Chaldea"
[c]. The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them; also in verse 26.
[d]. Or "A sword against"

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 50

This and the following chapter contain a long prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon; and which is expressed in such language, that it may be, and is to be, accommodated to the destruction of mystical Babylon; and several passages in the book of the Revelation are borrowed from hence; and it is intermixed with promises and prophecies of the deliverance of God's people from thence, and of the conversion of the Jews, and the restoration of them to their own which will be at that time; see Jer 50:4,5,8,19,20,33,34. The destruction of Babylon in general is proclaimed and declared, and the manner and cause of it, Jer 50:1-13; then the enemies of Babylon are stirred up and animated to proceed against her, and execute the judgments of God upon her, Jer 50:14-30. Next follows the Lord's controversy with her, because of her pride and oppression of his people; and threatens her with the sword, drought, and utter destruction, Jer 50:31-40; and then a description is given of her enemies, that should be the instruments of her destruction, Jer 50:41-44; and the chapter is closed with observing, that this is all according to the counsel and purpose of God, Jer 50:45,46.