A sound of a cry cometh from Babylon ,.... Of the inhabitants of it upon its being taken; which is said to denote the certainty of it, which was as sure as if the cry of the distressed was then heard: and great destruction from the land of the Chaldeans ; that is, the report of a great destruction there, was, or would be, carried from thence, and spread all over the world. read more
Because the Lord hath spoiled Babylon ,.... By means of the Merits and Persians; these were his instruments he made use of; to these he gave commission, power, and strength to spoil Babylon; and therefore it is ascribed to him: and destroyed out of her the great voice ; the noise of people, which is very great in populous cities, where people are passing to and fro in great numbers upon business; which ceases when any calamity comes, as pestilence, famine, or sword, which sweep away the... read more
Because the spoiler is come upon her, even upon Babylon ,.... That is, Cyrus, with his army: and her mighty men are taken ; unawares, by surprise: everyone of their bows is broken ; they had no strength to withstand the enemy, and were obliged to yield at once; lay down their arms, and submit: for the Lord God of recompences shall surely requite ; that God to whom vengeance belongs, and will recompense it; who is a God of justice and equity, the Judge of all the earth; he will... read more
And I will make drunk her princes ,.... With the wine of divine wrath; that is, slay them; though there may be an allusion to their being drunk with wine at the feast Belshazzar made for his thousand lords; who are the princes here intended, together with the king and his royal family, Daniel 5:1 ; and her wise men , her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men : the counsellors of state, priests, magicians, and astrologers; officers in the army, superior and inferior ones; and... read more
Thus saith the Lord of hosts ,.... Because what follows might seem incredible ever to be effected; it is introduced with this preface, expressed by him who is the God of truth, and the Lord God omnipotent: the broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken ; or rased up; the foundations of them, and the ground on which they stood made naked and bare, and open to public view; everyone of the walls, the inward and the outward, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it. Curtius says F19 ... read more
The great voice - Its pride and insufferable boasting. read more
The Lord God of recompenses - The fall of Babylon is an act of Divine justice; whatever it suffers, it is in consequence of its crimes. read more
I will make drunk her princes - See on Jeremiah 51:39 ; (note). read more
The broad walls of Babylon - Herodotus, who saw these walls, says, "The city was a regular square, each side of which was one hand red and twenty stadia, the circumference four hundred and eighty stadia. It was surrounded by a wall fifty cubits broad, and two hundred cubits high; and each side had twenty-five brazen gates." - Herod. lib. 1 c. 178. Had not Cyrus resorted to stratagem, humanly speaking, he could not have taken this city. For the destruction of this wall and its very vestiges,... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Jeremiah 51:1-58
The particulars of this copious prophecy are dispersed and interwoven, and the same things left and returned to so often that it could not well be divided into parts, but we must endeavor to collect them under their proper heads. Let us then observe here, I. An acknowledgment of the great pomp and power that Babylon had been in and the use that God in his providence had made of it (Jer. 51:7): Babylon hath been a golden cup, a rich and glorious empire, a golden city (Isa. 14:4), a head of gold... read more