(23) With thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.—The exhausting of all sorts and conditions of men culminates in the ruling caste. The Hebrew word for “captain” (Pekha) is interesting as connected with the Arabic, with which we are now familiar in the form Pacha (Fürst, Lex.). read more
Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon, then, for all its power and all its independence, was an instrument of God, and no one can deeply study the Word of God without coming to perceive the awful emphasis that it lays on the fact of instrumentality. I. Now sometimes the blindest eye can see how exquisitely the instruments of God are fitted to the task God has in hand. But is not the general rule the very opposite? I think it is the reverse that strikes us most. 1. Think, for example, of the instrument which He... read more
CHAPTER XXVBABYLONJeremiah 50:1-46, Jeremiah 51:1-64"Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces."- Jeremiah 50:2THESE chapters present phenomena analogous to those of Isaiah 40:1-31; Isaiah 41:1-29; Isaiah 42:1-25; Isaiah 43:1-28; Isaiah 44:1-28; Isaiah 45:1-25; Isaiah 46:1-13; Isaiah 47:1-15; Isaiah 48:1-22; Isaiah 49:1-26; Isaiah 50:1-11; Isaiah 51:1-23; Isaiah 52:1-15; Isaiah 53:1-12; Isaiah 54:1-17; Isaiah 55:1-13; Isaiah 56:1-12; Isaiah 57:1-21; Isaiah 58:1-14;... read more
CHAPTERS 50-51 Babylon These two final chapters contain a great prophecy concerning Babylon, her overthrow and doom. The fifty-first chapter closes with the statement “thus far are the words of Jeremiah.” There is a direct statement that Jeremiah wrote all these words. We find it at the close of Jeremiah 51:59-64 . “Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon.” It would be a brazen infidelity which says Jeremiah did... read more
Is not this command to the people of God, to go out of Babylon, the same as gospel precepts, 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 ; Revelation 18:4 . read more
1-58 The particulars of this prophecy are dispersed and interwoven, and the same things left and returned to again. Babylon is abundant in treasures, yet neither her waters nor her wealth shall secure her. Destruction comes when they did not think of it. Wherever we are, in the greatest depths, at the greatest distances, we are to remember the Lord our God; and in the times of the greatest fears and hopes, it is most needful to remember the Lord. The feeling excited by Babylon's fall is the... read more
The Threat of Jehovah in its Various Forms v. 1. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up against Babylon and against them that dwell in the midst, literally, "in the heart," of them that rise up against Me, the inhabitants of the insurgent country, a destroying wind, or "the spirit of destruction," v. 2. and will send unto Babylon fanners, whose work it was to separate the wheat from the chaff by casting up and scattering the threshed grain, that shall fan her and shall empty her... read more
14. HOW THE LORD PUNISHES HIS OWN HAMMERJeremiah 51:20-2420 A hammer13 art thou to me, weapons of war,And with thee I break nations in pieces,And with thee I overthrow kingdoms.21 And with thee I break in pieces the horse and his rider,And with thee I break in pieces the chariot and its driver.22 And with thee I break in pieces man and woman,And with thee I break in pieces old man and boy,And with thee I break in pieces young man and maiden,23 And with thee I break in... read more
In the second movement of the prophecy which deals with Babylon's doom and Israel's responsibility, Jeremiah first repeated his declarations concerning the determination of Jehovah to bring about the complete overthrow of Babylon, and thus to ensure the deliverance of His people. Then, in a passage full of force and beauty, Jeremiah described the invincibility of Jehovah. He is the Creator, the very sounding of whose voice creates tumult in the heavens, and all the forces of nature are under... read more
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John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Jeremiah 51:1-64
1-14. The end of Babylon arrives.1. See on Jeremiah 25:26. 1, 2. The imagery is of the wind scattering the chaff on the threshingfloor. The wind and the fanners are the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11). 3. Him that bendeth] i.e. his bow in defence of Babylon. Brigandine] coat of mail. 5. See on Jeremiah 50:29. 7. Babylon has been God’s instrument in His vengeance on the nations. 10. Hath brought forth our righteousness] has judged that the Jews’ idolatry has been sufficiently punished, and that they are... read more