United Commentaries

Jer.51.1-2

The destroyer selected by the Lord was Persia, led by Cyrus, who came against Babylon in 539 BC.

Jer.51.3-4

God took the role of commander and ordered the destroyer to wipe out the Babylonians.

completely destroyed: See Lev 27:28-29; 1 Sam 15:3.

Jer.51.5

Although the Israelites had committed many sins against the Holy One, he was still their God, and he planned to save them.

Jer.51.6

The Israelites were urged to flee from Babylon at the appropriate time to avoid being caught up in the Lord’s vengeance against Babylon (cp. 50:8).

Jer.51.7

Babylon had been a gold cup, a vessel of unusual power and wealth that the Lord had used for a time to rule every nation in the ancient Near East.

The nations drank Babylon’s wine: All those nations had suffered greatly under Babylon’s heavy hand.

Jer.51.8

Jeremiah foresaw the collapse of the Babylonian Empire. Although the Lord was carrying out justice, the event called for mourning.

Jer.51.9-10

Nothing could save Babylon; her punishment could not be measured. After Babylon collapsed, it would be time for the exiles to return home, where they could tell others of God’s wonderful acts on their behalf.

Jer.51.11-12

The kings of the Medes included Cyrus, who marched against Babylon and overthrew it in 539 BC.

Jer.51.15-19

This anthem of praise affirms the Lord’s uniqueness and majesty. It contrasts the reality of the one true God with the emptiness of idols.

Jer.51.15-16

As the Creator and preserver of all things, God, not Baal, controls the storm with its thunder, rain, lightning, and wind. The Lord can use these forces whenever he desires.

Jer.51.20

You: The Lord had chosen and empowered King Cyrus of Persia to turn the Babylonian Empire to dust.

Jer.51.27-28

Ararat was the mountainous region north of Babylon.

Ashkenaz was Noah’s great-grandson through Japheth and Gomer (Gen 10:2-3); his descendants probably lived in Ararat, as did the people of Minni, who are otherwise unknown.

Jer.51.29-30

The terrible fall of Babylon happened just as the Lord had planned. The Babylonian soldiers lost all desire to fight, and the Persian invaders quickly penetrated the city walls.

Jer.51.31

This king was Nabonidus; at the time, he was at Borsippa, north of Babylon. His son Belshazzar was regent in Babylon. See Dan 5:1-30.

Jer.51.33

The wealth of the city was likened to wheat on a threshing floor; the looting of Babylon was like a harvest.

Jer.51.35

Make Babylon suffer as she made us suffer: See “Prayers for Vengeance” Theme Note.

Jer.51.36

I will be your lawyer: In response to the people’s request (51:35), the Lord would prosecute Babylon for its brutal sins.

Jer.51.37

The looting of the city and the damage to its structures would inspire contempt rather than awe in its visitors.

Jer.51.38-40

The Lord proclaimed that he would use wine to turn the lion that once terrorized and destroyed nations (5:6; 25:38; 49:19) into an easily subdued lamb. Wine as an instrument of wrath was usually figurative (25:15-29), but here it was literal (see Dan 5).

Jer.51.42

The sea represents the armies that overwhelmed Babylon. The crashing waves symbolize the assault against the city.

Jer.51.44

The defeat of its chief deity, Bel, was the ultimate disaster for Babylon. This idol’s lavish adornments would be taken away, and its supposed power would be exposed as a monumental fraud.

Jer.51.45-53

The Lord was concerned about the spiritual and physical well-being of the Jewish exiles in Babylon, where their political situation was perilous. The Lord pointed to the future, when the exiles would be redeemed from disgrace and return with great joy to live in their own land.

Jer.51.45

As the Lord described the terrors of his angry judgment against Babylon,, he pointed his people to their homeland to assure them of their safety.

Jer.51.46

Violence will erupt: As an enemy army headed toward Babylon, the leaders inside the city were blaming each other. Vicious in-fighting was tearing Babylon apart.

Jer.51.47-48

The Lord’s punishment of Babylon would cause the heavens and earth to rejoice at this display of God’s justice.

Jer.51.49-50

Babylon’s penalty would match the brutality it had poured out on the Israelites and other nations.

Jer.51.51

The exiled people carried a heavy load of shame and disgrace for their past sins. The Lord’s Temple was defiled when the Babylonians destroyed it in 586 BC.

Jer.51.52

Yes: The Lord agreed with his people that their past was shameful, but he gave them hope for the future when Babylon’s power would be broken.

Jer.51.53

Babylon’s fortifications could not protect it; the city would certainly be plundered, for the Lord had spoken and decreed their punishment.

Jer.51.54

As Babylon was destroyed, the din of battle would be overwhelming. People would scream and yell, soldiers would shout their battle cries, and boulders would crash against each other as walls were torn down.

Jer.51.55-56

The destruction of Babylon was not a historical accident—the Lord was in control and would bring it to pass.

The noise (51:54) would dissolve into the silence of death. The invading army would kill or capture the Babylonian soldiers, and the population would flee into the countryside.

Jer.51.57

Belshazzar, the ruler of the city, and his officers had a feast at which drunkenness was dominant; it ended in their death (Dan 5).

Jer.51.59-64

Just as Babylon had destroyed Jerusalem, this great kingdom would itself be destroyed. This passage contains a message sent to Babylon seven years before the fall of Jerusalem.

Jer.51.59

King Zedekiah made a trip to Babylon to build trust between himself and Nebuchadnezzar. It was probably during this visit that Zedekiah swore an oath of loyalty to the Babylonian king (2 Chr 36:13).

Jer.51.63-64

Throwing the scroll . . . into the Euphrates River signaled the permanent destruction of Babylon.