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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 50:9-20

God is here by his prophet, as afterwards in his providence, proceeding in his controversy with Babylon. Observe, I. The commission and charge given to the instruments that were to be employed in destroying Babylon. The army that is to do it is called an assembly of great nations (Jer. 50:9), the Medes and Persians, and all their allies and auxiliaries; it is called an assembly, because regularly formed by the divine will and counsel to do this execution. God will raise them up to do it, will... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:11

Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage ,.... This is addressed to the Chaldeans who destroyed Jerusalem and the land of Judea, once the heritage of the Lord; when they rejoiced at the destruction of God's people, and insulted them in their miseries; and which is the cause and reason assigned of their ruin; for though they had a commission to destroy, yet they exceeded that, and especially by exulting at the ruin of that people, which showed great... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:12

Your mother shall be sore confounded ,.... The monarchy of the Chaldeans; so the Targum and jarchi, your congregation; or rather their metropolis, their mother city, the city of Babylon; which would be confounded when taken, none of her sons being able to defend her: the same will be true of mystical Babylon, the mother of harlots, Revelation 17:5 ; she that bare you shall be ashamed ; which is the same as before, in different words: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:13

Because of the wrath of the Lord, it shall not be inhabited ,.... That is, Babylon; which the Targum expresses, "because thou, Babylon, hast provoked the Lord;' by their idolatry, luxury, ill usage of his people, and profanation of the vessels of the sanctuary; therefore it should be destroyed, and left without an inhabitant in it: but it shall be wholly desolate ; as it now is. Pausanias says F15 Arcadica, sive l. 8. p. 509. , in his time there was nothing but a wall... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:14

Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about ,.... This is directed to the Medes and Persians, to dispose of their army in proper places round about the city of Babylon, to besiege it; and to order their instruments of war, fit for that purpose, a convenient manner; since they might be sure of victory, the Lord being wroth with it, and having so severely threatened its ruin: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows ; the Elamites, or Persians, as before observed,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:15

Shout against her round about ,.... As soldiers do when they make an assault upon a place, to encourage one another, and dismay the besieged; just as the Israelites did when they surrounded Jericho: she hath given her hand ; submitted to the conqueror, and sued for mercy. The Targum is, "she is delivered into her hand;' the hand of the Persians, by two princes of Babylon, who went off to Cyrus, and showed him how to take the city; or rather it was delivered by Zopyrus into the hands... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:16

Cut off the sower from in Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest ,.... Both sower and reaper: the walls of Babylon took in a large compass of land, where there were corn fields; and which, as Curtius F19 Hist. l. 5. c. 1. observes, would yield a sufficiency to hold out a siege against an enemy; but being taken, the husbandman would not be spared, as used to be, but should be cut off, and so none to till the ground, or to reap what was upon it; and thus, in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:17

Israel is a scattered sheep ,.... Or like a sheep that is frightened and drove from the fold, and is dispersed, and wanders about here and there; Israel includes all the twelve tribes: the lions have driven him away ; from his own land, and carried him captive, and scattered him among the nations; these lions are afterwards interpreted of the kings of Assyria and Babylon: so the Targum, "kings have removed them;' comparable to lions for their strength, fierceness, and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:18

Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel ,.... Because of this cruel treatment of his people, whose God he was; and being the Lord of hosts, and able to avenge himself on their enemies, he threatens as follows: behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land ; not Nebuchadnezzar, but a successor of his, Belshazzar, who was slain the night Babylon was taken: as I have punished the king of Assyria ; not Shalmaneser, that carried the tribes captive; but a... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Jeremiah 50:19

And I will bring Israel again to his habitation ,.... Or "fold" F21 אל נוהו "ad habitaculum", vel potius "caulam", Schmidt. , or place of pasturage; for the metaphor of sheep is still continued. Israel designs not the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the Levites, and a few of the other tribes mixed with them only, but all Israel, together with Judah, as appears from Jeremiah 50:20 ; and so this prophecy had not its full accomplishment at the Jews' return from the Babylonish... read more

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