Jeremiah 50

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Jeremiah 50 pronounces a severe judgment against Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans, declaring its utter destruction by a nation from the north. This desolation is portrayed as the Lord's vengeance for Babylon's pride and its oppression of Israel. Simultaneously, the chapter foretells the restoration of Israel and Judah, who will return to seek the Lord and enter into a perpetual covenant. Their past iniquity will be pardoned, marking a new beginning for God's people.

The Lord's Word Against Babylon 1–3

The word that Jehovah spake concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet.

Declare ye among the nations and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.

For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.

Israel's Return and Restoration 4–7

In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping, and shall seek Jehovah their God.

They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, and join yourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.

My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place.

All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers.

Flee Babylon! The Northern Attack 8–16

Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks.

For, lo, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain.

And Chaldea shall be a prey: all that prey upon her shall be satisfied, saith Jehovah.

Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder my heritage, because ye are wanton as a heifer that treadeth out the grain, and neigh as strong horses;

your mother shall be utterly put to shame; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the hindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

Because of the wrath of Jehovah she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.

Set yourselves in array against Babylon round about, all ye that bend the bow; shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against Jehovah.

Shout against her round about: she hath submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of Jehovah: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.

Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.

God Vindicates Israel 17–20

Israel is a hunted sheep; the lions have driven him away: first, the king of Assyria devoured him; and now at last Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.

Therefore thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.

And I will bring Israel again to his pasture, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead.

In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I leave as a remnant.

The Hammer of the Earth Is Broken 21–32

Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: slay and utterly destroy after them, saith Jehovah, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.

A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.

How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!

I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against Jehovah.

Jehovah hath opened his armory, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation; for the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, hath a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.

Come against her from the utmost border; open her store-houses; cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly; let nothing of her be left.

Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of Jehovah our God, the vengeance of his temple.

Call together the archers against Babylon, all them that bend the bow; encamp against her round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her; for she hath been proud against Jehovah, against the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore shall her young men fall in her streets, and all her men of war shall be brought to silence in that day, saith Jehovah.

Behold, I am against thee, O thou proud one, saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts; for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

And the proud one shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up; and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all that are round about him.

The Redeemer of Israel 33–34

Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: The children of Israel and the children of Judah are oppressed together; and all that took them captive hold them fast; they refuse to let them go.

Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of hosts is his name: he will thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the earth, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.

A Sword of Judgment on Chaldea 35–38

A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith Jehovah, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.

A sword is upon the boasters, and they shall become fools; a sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed.

A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed.

A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up; for it is a land of graven images, and they are mad over idols.

Permanent Desolation and Final Warning 39–46

Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wolves shall dwell there, and the ostriches shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith Jehovah, so shall no man dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.

Behold, a people cometh from the north; and a great nation and many kings shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.

The king of Babylon hath heard the tidings of them, and his hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.

Behold, the enemy shall come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation: for I will suddenly make them run away from it; and whoso is chosen, him will I appoint over it: for who is like me? and who will appoint me a time? and who is the shepherd that can stand before me?

Therefore hear ye the counsel of Jehovah, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, even the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.

At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth trembleth, and the cry is heard among the nations.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Jeremiah 50

Verse 1

against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans — The last of the oracles on the nations, the judgment promised at 25:12, 'when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon'. 'By Jeremiah' is literally 'by the hand of Jeremiah'. The words were written in a book and sent to Babylon with Seraiah, to be read there and sunk in the Euphrates (51:59–64).

Verse 2

Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces — Bel is the god of Isa 46:1, 'Bel boweth down', and is punished again at 51:44; 'Merodach' is named only here. The fall of Babylon and her idols is the news to 'Declare ye among the nations' with a raised 'standard', and the escaped carry it to Zion (v.28).

Verse 3

out of the north there cometh up a nation — The north from which 'an evil shall break forth' on Judah (1:14) now sends a nation against Babylon, and 'great nations from the north country' in v.9. They are named in 51:11 as 'the kings of the Medes', as Isa 13:17 foretold: 'I will stir up the Medes against them'. 'Both man and beast' will go, as in 51:62.

Verse 4

the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together — The two kingdoms return as one (Hos 1:11; Ezek 37:22, 'one nation'). 'Going and weeping' is how they come in 31:9, 'They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them', and 'seek the LORD their God' is the word of Hos 3:5.

Verse 5

ask the way to Zion — They ask 'with their faces thitherward', as the watchmen of Ephraim call, 'Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion' (31:6). 'Join' is lavah, to be attached, the verb of the stranger who 'hath joined himself to the LORD' (Isa 56:3). The 'perpetual covenant' is the 'everlasting covenant' of 32:40, the new covenant of 31:31–34 (Heb 8:8–12).

Verse 6

My people hath been lost sheep — 'Lost' is abad, the word of Ps 119:176, 'I have gone astray like a lost sheep'. The 'shepherds' are the leaders Ezek 34:2–6 charges with feeding themselves while 'my sheep wandered through all the mountains'. 'Restingplace' is rebets, the 'place… to lie down in' of Isa 65:10. Christ sends the Twelve to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matt 10:6).

Verse 8

Remove out of the midst of Babylon — The exiles are called out before the fall, 'as the he goats before the flocks'. Attud, the he goat, goes first and the flock follows; the word is rendered 'chief ones' of the earth in Isa 14:9. The call is repeated in 51:6 and 51:45, in Isa 48:20, and in Rev 18:4, 'Come out of her, my people'.

Verse 9

an assembly of great nations from the north country — 'Assembly' is qahal, the word used of Israel's own congregation. The LORD says 'I will raise', as of the Medes in 51:11. Verse 51:27 names the kingdoms called up, 'Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz', and 51:28 adds 'the kings of the Medes'. 'None shall return in vain' is like Jonathan's bow, which 'turned not back' (2 Sam 1:22).

Verse 11

destroyers of mine heritage — Babylon was the instrument of the LORD's anger (Isa 47:6, 'I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand'), yet its gladness is the charge, for 'they helped forward the affliction' (Zech 1:15). 'Bulls' is abbir, 'strong ones', the word behind 'valiant men' in 46:15.

Verse 15

she hath given her hand — To give the hand is to yield (Lam 5:6; 2 Chr 30:8, 'yield yourselves'). 'Foundations' is ashyah, found only here. Her 'walls are thrown down', the 'broad walls of Babylon' of 51:58, and the vengeance is paid in kind, 'as she hath done, do unto her' (cf. Ps 137:8; Rev 18:6).

Verse 17

Israel is a scattered sheep — The figure of v.6 continues, with two lions. Assyria came 'first' and carried Israel away (2 Kgs 17:6; 18:11), and Nebuchadrezzar 'last'. Jeremiah had used the image before: 'The young lions roared upon him, and yelled, and they made his land waste' (2:15).

Verse 19

Carmel and Bashan… mount Ephraim and Gilead — Carmel is on the west, Bashan and Gilead beyond Jordan, Ephraim in the hill country: the pasture lands of the whole people. Mic 7:14 asks, 'let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old'. 'Habitation' is naveh, a pasture or fold, and Ezek 34:13–14 promises 'a good pasture' on 'the high mountains of Israel'.

Verse 20

the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none — The pardon of the new covenant: 'I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more' (31:34), quoted in Heb 10:17. Mic 7:19 casts sins 'into the depths of the sea', and Ps 103:12 removes them 'as far as the east is from the west'. 'Whom I reserve' is sha'ar, to leave over, the remnant.

Verse 21

Merathaim… Pekod — Both are names for Babylon's land. Merathaim is a dual form, 'double bitterness', and occurs only here. Pekod, 'punishment', comes from paqad, the verb of 'I will punish the king of Babylon' (v.18), and appears again in Ezek 23:23 among the Babylonian peoples. The command is 'waste and utterly destroy' (charam).

Verse 23

the hammer of the whole earth — 'Hammer' is pattish, found elsewhere only in 23:29, 'like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces', and Isa 41:7. The cry 'How is… broken!' is the note of the taunt on the king of Babylon in Isa 14:4, 12, where he 'made the world as a wilderness' (Isa 14:17).

Verse 24

I have laid a snare for thee — The LORD lays it, and Babylon is 'taken' (lakad, as in v.2) 'and thou wast not aware'. Daniel records the end at a feast: 'In that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain' (Dan 5:30), and 'Darius the Median took the kingdom' (5:31). 'Striven against the LORD' is Dan 5:23, 'lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven'.

Verse 28

the vengeance of his temple — The same words recur in 51:11, with 'the kings of the Medes'. The temple's vessels were used at Belshazzar's feast, 'the golden vessels that were taken out of the temple of the house of God' (Dan 5:3), and Dan 5:23 charges him with it. The escaped 'declare in Zion', as 51:10 says, 'the work of the LORD our God'.

Verse 33

they refused to let them go — Israel and Judah were 'oppressed together' (ashaq). 'Refused to let them go' is the word given to Pharaoh, 'If thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still' (Ex 9:2). The next verse names the one who redeems them from this hold.

Verse 34

Their Redeemer is strong — Go'el, the kinsman who buys back and avenges. 'The LORD of hosts is his name' is the title of Isa 47:4 and 54:5, 'thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel'. 'Plead their cause' is riv, to argue a case (Mic 7:9; 51:36). 'Give rest' and 'disquiet' are two verbs of near sound, hirgia and hirgiz.

Verse 35

A sword is upon the Chaldeans — 'A sword is upon' opens five lines in vv.35–37 (the Chaldeans, the liars, the mighty men, the horses, the treasures). It is the sword of 47:6, 'the sword of the LORD'. The 'wise men' who fall had failed before: 'they could not read the writing' (Dan 5:8).

Verse 36

A sword is upon the liars — 'Liars' is bad, empty talkers, the word of Isa 44:25, 'that frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad'. 'Dote' is ya'al, to become foolish, so the men who advised Babylon are the first to lose their counsel. Her 'mighty men' are 'dismayed' (chathath).

Verse 38

A drought is upon her waters — 'Drought' is choreb, written with the same consonants as 'sword' (chereb) in vv.35–37, so the refrain turns on one set of letters. Isa 44:27 says to the deep 'Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers', and 51:36 'I will dry up her sea'. 'Idols' is emim, 'terrors', the word of 'Fear and dread' in Ex 15:16.

Verse 39

the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands — The words of Isa 13:20–22: 'wild beasts of the desert shall lie there… owls shall dwell there… the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses'. 'From generation to generation' is Isa 13:20, and 'it shall be no more inhabited' is the sentence of 25:12, 'perpetual desolations'.

Verse 40

As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah — The overthrow of Gen 19:24–25, with the 'neighbour cities' Admah and Zeboim (Deut 29:23). Isa 13:19 used the comparison for Babylon, and 49:18 repeats these words for Edom. Peter calls the overthrow 'an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly' (2 Pet 2:6).

Verse 41

a people shall come from the north, and a great nation — Nearly the words of 6:22 against Judah: 'a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth'. They now come against Babylon. 'Raised up' is 'ur, the verb of v.9, and the 'many kings' are 'the kings of the Medes' and the kingdoms of 51:27–28.

Verse 44

like a lion from the swelling of Jordan — This repeats 49:19, the lion that came against Edom, now come against Babylon. 'Shepherd' is also the word for a ruler, as the LORD says of Cyrus, 'He is my shepherd' (Isa 44:28). 'Who is like me?' is the claim of Isa 46:9, 'there is none like me'. 'Who will appoint me the time?' uses ya'ad, the verb of 47:7.