1.

Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
Behold. Figure of speech Asterismos.
Me. A Massoretic note ( App-30 ) says that this is a cryptogram (Hebrew " Casdim "), meaning "the Chaldees". See note on Jeremiah 51:41 ; Jeremiah 25:26 .
destroying = laying waste. Hebrew. shahath. The same word as in verses: Jeremiah 51:11 , Jeremiah 51:20 , Jeremiah 51:25 . Not the same as in verses: Jeremiah 51:3 , Jeremiah 51:8 , Jeremiah 51:54 , Jer 3:55 .
wind. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

2.

And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

fanners . . . fan = winnowers . . . winnow. Figure of speech Polyptoton. App-6 .

3.

Against him that bendeth let the archer bend his bow, and against him that lifteth himself up in his brigandine: and spare ye not her young men; destroy ye utterly all her host.

Against him that bendeth, &c. The Massorah ( App-30 ), instead of cancelling the repeated word "against . . . and against" ('el), directs the substitution of 'al, "not . . . and not". The verse will then read, "Let not the archer bend his bow, nor let him lift himself up in his coat of mail" (i.e. in defence of Babylon). This is so read in two early printed editions, Chaldee, Syriac, Vulgate, and Revised Version.
brigandine = coat of mail.
destroy = break down. Hebrew. haram. Same word as Jeremiah 51:54 . Not the same as verses: Jeremiah 51:1 , Jeremiah 51:8 , Jeremiah 51:11 , Jeremiah 51:20 , Jeremiah 51:25 , Jeremiah 51:25 , Jeremiah 51:54 , Jeremiah 51:55 .

4.

Thus the slain shall fall in the land of the Chaldeans, and they that are thrust through in her streets.

5.

For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.

Israel . . . Judah. Now one People again.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
the LORD of Hosts. See note on Jeremiah 6:6 , and 1 Samuel 1:3 .
sin. Hebrew. chata.
the Holy One of Israel. See note on Psalms 71:22 .

6.

Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time of the LORD's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompence.

every man. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .
soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 .
iniquity. Hebrew. 'avah. App-44 . Put by Fig, Metonymy (of Cause), for the judgment brought down by it. Compare Revelation 18:4 .

7.

Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: the nations have drunken of her wine; therefore the nations are mad.

made all the earth drunken. Compare Revelation 17:4 .
wine. Hebrew. yayin. App-27 .

8.

Babylon is suddenly fallen and destroyed: howl for her; take balm for her pain, if so she may be healed.

is suddenly, &c. This must refer to a future fulfilment, for the present condition came gradually, See Isaiah 21:9 ; Isaiah 47:9 , Isaiah 47:11 . Compare Revelation 14:8 ; Revelation 18:8 , Revelation 18:10 , Revelation 18:17 , Revelation 18:19 .
destroyed = broken down. Hebrew. shabar. Not the same as in verses: Jeremiah 51:1 , Jeremiah 51:3 , Jeremiah 51:11 , Jer 1:20 , Jer 1:25 , Jer 1:25 , Jer 1:55 .
take balm = fetch balSamaritan Pentateuch Compare Jeremiah 8:22 ; Jeremiah 46:11 .

9.

We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country: for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies.

We. Note this remarkable pronoun.
every one. Hebrew. 'Ish . App-14 .
is lifted up = mounteth.

10.

The LORD hath brought forth our righteousness: come, and let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.

11.

Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the LORD hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the LORD, the vengeance of his temple.

spirit. Hebrew. ruach . App-9 .
the Medes. In the person of Cyrus and others ( App-57 ). Here the then immediate calamity is referred to.
vengeance = avengement.

12.

Set up the standard upon the walls of Babylon, make the watch strong, set up the watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for the LORD hath both devised and done that which he spake against the inhabitants of Babylon.

make the watch, &c. Compare Isaiah 21:5 , Isaiah 21:6 .

13.

O thou that dwellest upon many waters, abundant in treasures, thine end is come, and the measure of thy covetousness.

upon many waters. Compare Jeremiah 51:42 , and Jeremiah 50:38 , also Revelation 17:1 , Revelation 17:15 .
covetousness = dishonest or unrighteous gain.

14.

The LORD of hosts hath sworn by himself, saying, Surely I will fill thee with men, as with caterpillers; and they shall lift up a shout against thee.

by Himself = by His soul. Hebrew. nephesh. App-13 . Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.
caterpillers = locusts. Compare Joel 2:2 .Nahum 3:15 .
they: i.e. the assailants.

15.

He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by his understanding.

made the earth, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 1 ). Compare Jeremiah 10:12 , &c. verses: Jeremiah 51:15-19 are repeated from Jeremiah 10:12-16 .

16.

When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.

multitude = noise.
lightnings, &c. Compare Jeremiah 10:13 .

17.

Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

is brutish by, &c. = is become too brutish to know.
confounded = put to shame.
breath. Hebrew. ruach. App-9 .

18.

They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time of their visitation they shall perish.

the time of their visitation. See note on Jeremiah 8:12 .

19.

The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the former of all things: and Israel is the rod of his inheritance: the LORD of hosts is his name.

The Portion of Jacob, &c. Note the Alternation in Jeremiah 51:19 , Not such as these is Jacob's Portion: (Deuteronomy 32:9 . Psalms 16:5 ). For [the] Former of all things is He: And the Sceptre of his (Israel's) inheritance: The LORD of hosts is His Name (Deuteronomy 10:9 ).

20.

Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

My battle axe: or, My hammer, i.e. Cyrus. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia.
with thee will I break in pieces = with thee will I beat down. Note the Figure of speech Anaphora , by which ten successive sentences commence with these words, This is for special emphasis.

21.

And with thee will I break in pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider;

22.

With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in pieces the young man and the maid;

23.

I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.

24.

And I will render unto Babylon and to all the inhabitants of Chaldea all their evil that they have done in Zion in your sight, saith the LORD.

evil. Hebrew. ra'a'. App-44 .
saith the LORD = [is] Jehovah's oracle.

25.

Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain.

26.

And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the LORD.

not take of thee . . . forever. This again must refer to a future fulfilment. The two destructions are intertwined. Compare Jeremiah 51:62 .
for ever. See App-151 .

27.

Set ye up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz; appoint a captain against her; cause the horses to come up as the rough caterpillers.

prepare = set apart, or sanctify.
Minni. Frequently mentioned in the inscriptions, the Assyrians having been compelled to quell revolts there.
captain = muster-master or marshal, like the Assyrian dupsarru, or tablet-writer. Hebrew. tiphsar. Occurs only here and Nahum 3:17 .

28.

Prepare against her the nations with the kings of the Medes, the captains thereof, and all the rulers thereof, and all the land of his dominion.

the Some codices, with three early printed editions, read "and the".

29.

And the land shall tremble and sorrow: for every purpose of the LORD shall be performed against Babylon, to make the land of Babylon a desolation without an inhabitant.

without an inhabitant. This must be yet future.

30.

The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.

The mighty men. Hebrew pi. of gibbor. App-14 .

31.

One post shall run to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to shew the king of Babylon that his city is taken at one end,

post = runner.
at one end. Supply the Ellipsis by the word "each", instead of "one" = "at [each] end". This will accord with the history; for Herodotus says the Babylonians retired to the city, and "remained in their holds". Cyrus, having turned the waters of the Euphrates, entered the city, by the bed of the river, at each end (see Herod 1 191). Compare Daniel 5:3 , Daniel 5:4 , Daniel 5:23 , Daniel 5:30 . The Revised Version, "on every quarter", quite misses the point. This passage, therefore, belongs to the past fulfilment; while others still await a future fulfilment.

32.

And that the passages are stopped, and the reeds they have burned with fire, and the men of war are affrighted.

passages = fords.
stopped = seized.
men. Hebrew, plural of 'enosh.

33.

For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; The daughter of Babylon is like a threshingfloor, it is time to thresh her: yet a little while, and the time of her harvest shall come.

the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel. See note on Jeremiah 7:3 .

34.

Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.

me. Here, and in Jeremiah 51:35 , the Hebrew text reads "us"; but the margin, and some codices, with two early printed editions, read "me", which is followed by the Authorized Version.

35.

The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

inhabitant = inhabitress.
upon. Hebrew text reads "against", but a special various reading called Sevir ( App-34 ) has "upon", with some codices, one early printed edition, Aramaean, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, which are followed by Authorized Version.

36.

Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee; and I will dry up her sea, and make her springs dry.

dry up. Referring to the act of Cyrus (by Gobryas). Compare Jeremiah 51:31 , above.
sea = the river Euphrates. So called from its breadth.

37.

And Babylon shall become heaps, a dwellingplace for dragons, an astonishment, and an hissing, without an inhabitant.

dragons = jackals.
without an inhabitant. This carries us on to the future again. Compare 1 Peter 5:13 .

38.

They shall roar together like lions: they shall yell as lion's whelps.

yell: or, shake themselves.

39.

In their heat I will make their feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.

feasts = banquets.

40.

I will bring them down like lambs to the slaughter, like rams with he goats.

41.

How is Sheshach taken! and how is the praise of the whole earth surprised! how is Babylon become an astonishment among the nations!

Sheshach. See note on Jeremiah 25:26 .

42.

The sea is come up upon Babylon: she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof.

43.

Her cities are a desolation, a dry land, and a wilderness, a land wherein no man dwelleth, neither doth any son of man pass thereby.

no man dwelleth. Still future.
man. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 .

44.

And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

the wall of Babylon. Now recently laid bare by excavations.

45.

My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the LORD.

46.

And lest your heart faint, and ye fear for the rumour that shall be heard in the land; a rumour shall both come one year, and after that in another year shall come a rumour, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.

47.

Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her.

do judgment upon = visit upon.

48.

Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD.

the heaven . . . shall sing. Figure of speech Poeanismos and Prosopopoeia.
all that is therein. Compare Revelation 19:1-3 .

49.

As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

all the earth. Compare Isaiah 14:16 , Isaiah 14:17 .

50.

Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the LORD afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. (with 'eth). App-4 .

51.

We are confounded, because we have heard reproach: shame hath covered our faces: for strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the LORD's house.

52.

Wherefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will do judgment upon her graven images: and through all her land the wounded shall groan.

53.

Though Babylon should mount up to heaven, and though she should fortify the height of her strength, yet from me shall spoilers come unto her, saith the LORD.

mount up, &c. Compare Isaiah 14:12-15 .

54.

A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon, and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans:

55.

Because the LORD hath spoiled Babylon, and destroyed out of her the great voice; when her waves do roar like great waters, a noise of their voice is uttered:

destroyed = caused to perish. Hebrew. 'abar. Not the same as in verses: Jeremiah 51:1 , Jeremiah 51:3 , Jeremiah 51:8 , Jeremiah 1:11 , Jer 1:20 , Jer 1:25 , Jer 1:54 .

56.

Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon, and her mighty men are taken, every one of their bows is broken: for the LORD God of recompences shall surely requite.

GOD. Hebrew El. App-4 . The Hebrew reads "El of recompences, Jehovah".

57.

And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

58.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

walls. Some codices, with two early printed editions, Septuagint, and Vulgate, read "wall".
people = peoples.
be weary = faint.

59.

The word which Jeremiah the prophet commanded Seraiah the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, when he went with Zedekiah the king of Judah into Babylon in the fourth year of his reign. And this Seraiah was a quiet prince.

The Fifty-First Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
Seraiah. The brother of Baruch(Jeremiah 32:12 . Compare Jeremiah 45:1 ).
when he went, &c. Probably to renew his oath of allegiance. Compare Jeremiah 27:1 ; Jeremiah 28:1 .
quiet prince. Probably chief chamberlain. Revised Version margin, "quartermaster. "Hebrew = quiet resting-place (Isaiah 32:18 ). Probably his office was to prepare the night's camping place during the journey to Babylon.

60.

So Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.

wrote in a book = wrote in one scroll.
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra'a . App-44 .

61.

And Jeremiah said to Seraiah, When thou comest to Babylon, and shalt see, and shalt read all these words;

and shalt see, &c. = then shalt thou look out and read.

62.

Then shalt thou say, O LORD, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.

desolate for ever = age-abiding desolations, show-ing that this prophecy must wait a future fulfilment.

63.

And it shall be, when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates:

64.

And thou shalt say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her: and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.