Jeremiah 50 commentary

JEREMIAH 50 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
A Message About Babylon
1 This is the word the Lord spoke through
Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the
land of the Babylonians[a]:
CLARKE, "
The Word that the Lord Spake Against Babylon - This is also a new head of
discourse.
The prophecy contained in this and the following chapter was sent to the captives in
Babylon in the fourth year of the reign of Zedekiah. They are very important; they
predict the total destruction of the Babylonish empire, and the return of the Jews from
their captivity. These chapters were probably composed, with several additions, out of
the book that was then sent by Jeremiah to the captives by the hand of Seraiah. See Jer_
51:59-64.
GILL, “The word that the Lord spake against Babylon,.... Or "to", of "of
Babylon" (c); the city of Babylon, the metropolis of the Chaldean empire; sometimes it
signifies the whole country, here the city only, as appears by what follows:
and against the land of the Chaldeans; whither the Jews were carried captive, for
whose comfort this prophecy is delivered out; and which had subdued other nations,
and was become an universal monarchy; these people are mentioned last, because the
rest of the nations were to drink the cup of God's wrath at their hands, and then they
were to drink it after them; see Jer_25:9; this is to be understood not only of Babylon
and its empire, literally taken, but of mystical Babylon and its dependencies; of Rome,
and its jurisdiction; of antichrist, and the antichristian states, the last enemies of the
church and people of God, who will be destroyed by the pouring out of the seven vials;
see Rev_15:1. This prophecy, which is called "the word that the Lord spake", for it was
from him, the thing was decreed and declared by him, came
by Jeremiah the prophet, to whom the king of Babylon had been very kind; but yet
he must be, and was, faithful as a prophet, to deliver what he had from the Lord
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concerning the ruin of his empire.
HENRY 1-3, “I. Here is a word spoken against Babylon by him whose works all agree
with his word and none of whose words fall to the ground. The king of Babylon had been
very kind of Jeremiah, and yet he must foretel the ruin of that kingdom; for God's
prophets must not be governed by favour or affection. Whoever are our friends, if,
notwithstanding, they are God's enemies, we dare not speak peace to them. 1. The
destruction of Babylon is here spoken of as a thing done, Jer_50:2. let it be published to
the nations as a piece of news, true news, and great news, and news they are all
concerned in; let them hang out the flag, as is usual on days of triumph, to give notice of
it; let all the world take notice of it: Babylon is taken. Let God have the honour of it, let
his people have the comfort of it, and therefore do not conceal it. Take care that it be
known, that the Lord may be known by those judgments which he executes, Psa_9:16. 2.
It is spoken of as a thing done thoroughly. For, (1.) The very idols of Babylon, which the
people would protect with all possible care, and from which they expected protection,
shall be destroyed. Bel and Merodach were their two principal deities; they shall be
confounded, and the images of them broken to pieces. (2.) The country shall be laid
waste (Jer_50:3) out of the north, from Media, which lay north of Babylon, and from
Assyria, through which Cyrus made his descent upon Babylon; thence the nation shall
come that shall make her land desolate. Their land was north of the countries that they
destroyed, who were therefore threatened with evil from the north (Omne malum ab
aquilone - Every evil comes from the north); but God will find out nations yet further
north to come upon them. The pomp and power of old Rome were brought down by
northern nations, the Goths and Vandals.
JAMISON, "Jer_50:1-46. Babylon’s coming downfall; Israel’s redemption.
After the predictions of judgment to be inflicted on other nations by Babylon, follows
this one against Babylon itself, the longest prophecy, consisting of one hundred verses.
The date of utterance was the fourth year of Zedekiah, when Seraiah, to whom it was
committed, was sent to Babylon (Jer_51:59, Jer_51:60). The repetitions in it make it
likely that it consists of prophecies uttered at different times, now collected by Jeremiah
to console the Jews in exile and to vindicate God’s ways by exhibiting the final doom of
Babylon, the enemy of the people of God, after her long prosperity. The style, imagery,
and dialogues prove its genuineness in opposition to those who deny this. It shows his
faithfulness; though under obligation to the king of Babylon, he owed a higher one to
God, who directed him to prophesy against Babylon.
Compare Isaiah 45:1-47:15. But as the time of fulfillment drew nearer, the prophecies
are now proportionally more distinct than then.
K&D, "The title, "The word which Jahveh spake concerning Babylon, concerning the
land of the Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet," follows Jer_46:13 in choosing ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ ִ‫דּ‬
instead of the usual ‫ר‬ֶ‫ֲשׁ‬‫א‬ ‫ָה‬‫י‬ ָ‫,ה‬ and deviates from that passage only in substituting "by the
hand of Jeremiah" for "to Jeremiah," as in Jer_37:2. The preference of the expression
"spake by the hand of" for "spake to," is connected with the fact that the following
prophecy does not contain a message of the Lord which came to Jeremiah, that he might
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utter it before the people, but a message which he was to write down and send to
Babylon, Jer_51:60. The apposition to "Babylon," viz., "the land of the Chaldeans,"
serves the purpose of more exactly declaring that "Babylon" is to be understood not
merely of the capital, but also of the kingdom; cf. Jer_50:8, Jer_50:45, and 51, 54.
CALVIN, "Our Prophet has been hitherto speaking of neighboring nations who had
cruelly harassed the chosen people; and it was some consolation when the children
of Abraham understood that God undertook their cause and would be the avenger
of those wrongs which they had suffered. But this of itself would have been no great
consolation, yea, it might have been viewed as nothing by many, while there was no
hope of restoration; for it would have been but a small consolation to have others as
associates in misery. If, indeed, Jeremiah had only taught that none of the nations
who had troubled God’s Church would escape unpunished, the Jews might have
raised an objection, and said, that they were not freed from their own calamities,
because the monarchy of Babylon still flourished, and that they were buried as it
were in a perpetual grave. It was therefore necessary that what we read here should
be predicted. And though this prophecy is given last, we ought to notice that the
Prophet had from the beginning expressly spoken, as we have seen, of the calamity
and destruction of Babylon. But this prophecy is given as the conclusion of the book,
to mitigate the sorrow of the miserable exiles; for it was no small relief to them to
hear that the tyranny by which they were oppressed, and under which they did live
as it were a lifeless life, would not be perpetual. We now then understand why the
Prophet spoke of the Babylonians and of their destruction.
But a longer preface would be superfluous, because those acquainted with Scripture
well know that the Jews were at length so reduced by the Babylonians that their
very name seemed to have been obliterated. As then they were reduced to such
extremities, it is no wonder that the Prophet here affirms that the Babylonians
would be at length punished, and that not only that God might show himself to be
the avenger of wickedness, but also that the miserable exiles might know that they
were not wholly repudiated, but on the contrary that God had a care for their
salvation. We now perceive the design of this prophecy.
The word of Jehovah, he says, which he spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the
land of the Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the Prophet He testifies in his usual
manner that he did not bring forward what he himself had invented, but that God
was the author of this prophecy. He at the same time declares that he was God’s
minister; for God did not descend from heaven whenever it pleased him to reveal his
favor to the Jews, but, as it is said in Deuteronomy, he was wont to speak by his
servants. (Deuteronomy 18:18.) In short, Jeremiah thus recommends the things he
was about to say, that the Jews might reverently receive them, not as the fictions of
men, but as oracles from heaven. It follows —
COFFMAN, “Verse 1
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JEREMIAH 50
PROPHECY AGAINST BABYLON
Here we have a collection of prophecies against Babylon and also many references
to the deliverance of Israel from captivity. The chapter cannot be outlined. True to
the pattern throughout Jeremiah, and also applicable to the whole book itself, it
appears to be a somewhat haphazard collection of many prophecies including not
only many which were previously spoken through Jeremiah, but also including a
number of prophecies given through other prophets, notably Isaiah.
NO VALID CRITICISM
Of course, there have been assaults upon the integrity of the chapter as belonging to
Jeremiah, and futile efforts to late-date it, but none of these actually has any
importance. The "inherent weakness"[1] of such criticism, mentioned by Payne
Smith, lies in the simple fact that there is no factual, physical, or textual evidence
whatever behind any of them.
"This prophecy (both Jeremiah 50 and Jeremiah 51) contains nothing which
Jeremiah could not have written in the fourth year of Zedekiah,"[2] this being the
true date of both chapters, as given in Jeremiah 51:59. The subjective guesses and
imaginations of men have no substantive weight at all against the plain Word of
God. See the writings of C.F. Keil, in which many pages are devoted to a definitive
refutation of critical denials regarding this long prophecy.
What some consider the strongest argument against Jeremiahic authorship is the
assertion that Jeremiah's writings in early chapters manifest "friendliness" to
Babylon, whereas, these two chapters reveal the wrath of God poured out against
Babylon. This argument is false, because, "The germ of these two chapters is found
in Jeremiah 25:12,26, where God's punishment of Babylon, and his making them an
everlasting desolation is categorically stated."[3] In fact, both these chapters
together are but an expansion of the thought given there.
All of the "hubba-hubba" about portions of Jeremiah being partly in poetry and
partly in prose is absolutely useless. He was the author of both, just as Sir Walter
Scott wrote both the Waverley Tales in prose and some of the best poetry in the
English language. Cawley and Millard commented on all the criticisms thus: "The
(alleged) reasons for rejecting the prophecy as an authentic prophecy of Jeremiah
are not conclusive."[4]
This writer has not discovered any reason whatever for allowing any doubt as to the
date and authenticity of this extended prophecy. The destruction of the temple and
the exile of Israel are predicted in this chapter; and the allegation that those events
are "spoken of as past events" is simply an unsupported error invented to support
4

the critical falsehood that predictive prophecy is impossible.
Furthermore, Jeremiah is clearly stated to be the author of this prophecy (Jeremiah
51:60).
With regard to the alleged "literary evidence," based upon similarities of language,
Cheyne remarked that, "The number of parallel passages between Jeremiah 51 and
Jeremiah 52 and the other writings of Jeremiah is very large, and they agree with no
one more than with Jeremiah."[5]
There are actually two themes in these chapters, "The fall of Babylon, and the
return of the Jews from exile." a The same author also tells us that the critics who
think of Jeremiah as pro-Babylonian, "misunderstand him."[7] Jeremiah did
indeed urge the people to submit to Babylon, because it was his duty so to do. He
was never pro-Chaldean, for he loved Israel with an undying love; and the same
God who had commanded Jeremiah to advise submission earlier, has in these
chapters commanded him to reveal the ultimate destruction of Babylon.
Jeremiah 50:1-5
"The word that Jehovah spake concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the
Chaldeans, by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations and publish, and
set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is put to
shame, Merodach is dismayed; her images are put to shame, her idols are dismayed.
For out of the north a nation cometh up against her, which shall make her land
desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and
beast. In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the children of Israel shall
come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping,
and shall seek Jehovah their God. They shall inquire concerning Zion with their
faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, and join yourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting
covenant that shall not be forgotten."
"Babylon is taken ..." (Jeremiah 50:2). This seemed an impossible prophecy in the
fourth year of Zedekiah, because, at that time, Babylon dominated the whole known
world. Yet God announced her destruction.
"Bel is put to shame, Merodach is dismayed ..." (Jeremiah 50:2). "Merodach in the
inscriptions was the tutelary god of Babylon; and Nebuchadnezzar named a son
Evil-Merodach, indicating that Nebuchadnezzar was especially devoted to that god.
Merodach was actually identical with Bel. He was identified with Jupiter among the
planets, and he was styled, `King of heaven and earth.'"[8]
"Her idols are dismayed ..." (Jeremiah 50:2). The word for idols in the Hebrew
literally means "dung balls."[9] This word was a favorite of Ezekiel who used it 38
times in speaking of pagan idols. The word is also used in Leviticus 26:30.
5

"Out of the north there cometh up a nation against her ..." (Jeremiah 50:3). We
remember that Babylon herself was the country "out of the north" that came
against Israel. In the fall of Babylon, this was literally true, because the Medes were
northwest of Babylon;[10] and Cyrus captured the city, according to Herodotus, by
diverting the Euphrates out of its channel, a diversion that took place up-stream
from Babylon, which was northward.
"A mystery in the Hebrew mind attached to the north, the very word `north' in
Hebrew meaning `hidden.' The burnt offering was to be sacrificed on the north side
of the altar (Leviticus 1:11); and the four cherubim in the vision of Ezekiel were
described as coming from the north (Ezekiel 1:4)."[11] In the prophecies, therefore,
the mention of unknown future dangers might have referred also to the mysterious
and hidden nature of the revelation.
"In those days ..." (Jeremiah 50:4). "These words show that the capture of Babylon,
spoken of in Jeremiah 50:2 as a past event, is still future, and that the words there
are the prophetic perfects."[12]
"Thitherward ..." (Jeremiah 50:5). "These words show that the writer of this
prophecy was in Jerusalem, not Babylon."[13]
COKE, “Jeremiah 50:1. The word that the Lord spake against Babylon— After
having announced to the Philistines, Edomites, and other people, the evils which
they should suffer from Nebuchadrezzar, Jeremiah proceeds to foretel what should
happen to the Chaldeans themselves from Cyrus and other princes his successors.
For the fullest explication of this prophesy, the reader will refer to Isaiah on the
same subject; bearing in mind that the prophesy has a further respect to that
mystical Babylon mentioned in Revelation; many expressions of it being applied by
St. John in that book. Merodach, mentioned in the next verse, seems to have been
one of the idol-gods of Babylon; perhaps a deified king.
WHEDON, “ THE TITLE, Jeremiah 50:1.
1. The word… against Babylon — Rather, concerning.
By Jeremiah — Literally, as in the margin, by the hand of Jeremiah, suggesting not
a spoken, but a written, message. The and should be omitted, and so land of the
Chaldeans is simply an appositive of Babylon, which is thus shown to be not the city
but the land.
The circle of the nations is completed in this prophecy against Babylon, which is
much the most elaborate of all, containing one hundred verses. The genuineness of
the passage is assailed by several critics on such grounds as these: 1) Elsewhere
Jeremiah is the friend of the Chaldeans; here he is their enemy, and thirsts for their
overthrow: 2) The style is repetitious. 3) New words and thoughts, foreign to
Jeremiah, are introduced. 4) It shows a striking resemblance to certain passages in
6

Isaiah 5) It displays an intimate knowledge of Babylonian topography and customs.
We reply: 1) Jeremiah indeed recognises the Chaldeans as the ministers of God’s
justice, but still this does not change the fact that they are the enemies of the
theocracy; and Jeremiah’s loyalty as a Jew and a worshipper of the Most High
cannot be questioned. 2) That the style contains repetitions is eminently
characteristic of Jeremiah, the warmth of whose emotional nature continually leads
him to dwell on and to repeat matters of supreme interest. 3) There is no proof that
new words and thoughts, novel to Jeremiah, have been introduced. 4) The
introduction of passages from other prophets, such as Isaiah, Obadiah, and Nahum,
has already been illustrated; and in this Jeremiah is simply consistent with himself.
5) The knowledge of Babylon is only of such general character as every intelligent
Jew must have possessed.
In favor of the genuineness of this passage we may note — 1) Its own distinct and
formal claim, so that if it be not genuine it is a base forgery. 2) The style is
characteristically Jeremiah’s. 3) The local and historical allusions are fully in
harmony with this view. One illustrative passage, the fifth verse, has been
repeatedly quoted: “They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward.”
The exact reading is hitherward, showing that the writer was at Jerusalem.
TRAPP, “Jeremiah 50:1 The word that the LORD spake against Babylon [and]
against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
Ver. 1. The word that the Lord spake against Babylon.] Which was built by Nimrod,
as Nineveh was afterwards by his nephew Ninus. [Genesis 10:11] Of the greatness of
this city, besides what we read in holy writ, much may be read in Herodotus and
Pliny. It was the head city of the Assyrian and Chaldean monarchy, which lasted
above seventeen hundred years, till Cyrus the Persian took the kingdom. Isaiah
prophesied against it in several chapters. Habakkuk maketh it his whole business.
Jeremiah had set forth how Sheshach, that is, Belshazzar, should drink the dregs of
the cup of God’s wrath. [Jeremiah 25:26] Here, and in the next chapter, he
discourseth it more at large, showing how it was that Babylon was to drink of that
cup; and for more certainty, it is spoken of in this prophecy as already done.
EXPOSITOR’S BIBLE COMMENTARY, “BABYLON
Jeremiah 50:1-46, Jeremiah 51:1-64
"Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces."- Jeremiah
50:2
THESE 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
7

66:1-24, and have been very commonly ascribed to an author writing at Babylon
towards the close of the Exile, or even at some later date. The conclusion has been
arrived at in both cases by the application of the same critical principles to similar
data. In the present case the argument is complicated by the concluding paragraph
of chapter 51, which states that "Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should
come upon Babylon, even all these words that are written against Babylon," in the
fourth year of Zedekiah, and gave the book to Seraiah ben Neriah to take to
Babylon and tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.
Such a statement, however, cuts both ways. On the one hand, we seem to have what
is wanting in the case of Isaiah 40:1-31; Isaiah 41:1-29; Isaiah 42:1-25; Isaiah
63:1-19; Isaiah 64:1-12; Isaiah 65:1-25; Isaiah 66:1-24 -a definite and circumstantial
testimony as to authorship. But, on the other hand, this very testimony raises new
difficulties. If 50 and 51 had been simply assigned to Jeremiah, without any
specification of date, we might possibly have accepted the tradition according to
which he spent his last years at Babylon, and have supposed that altered
circumstances and novel experiences account for the differences between these
chapters and the rest of the book. But Zedekiah’s fourth year is a point in the
prophet’s ministry at which it is extremely difficult to account for his having
composed such a prophecy. If, however, Jeremiah 51:59-64 is mistaken in its exact
and circumstantial account of the origin of the preceding section, we must hesitate
to recognise its authority as to that section’s authorship.
A detailed discussion of the question would be out of place here, but we may notice a
few passages which illustrate the arguments for an exilic date. We learn from
Jeremiah 27:1-22; Jeremiah 28:1-17; Jeremiah 29:1-32, that, in the fourth year of
Zedekiah, the prophet was denouncing as false teachers those who predicted that
the Jewish captives in Babylon would speedily return to their native land. He
himself asserted that judgment would not be inflicted upon Babylon for seventy
years, and exhorted the exiles to build houses and marry, and plant gardens, and to
pray for the peace of Babylon. [Jeremiah 29:4-14] We can hardly imagine that, in
the same breath almost, he called upon these exiles to flee from the city of their
captivity, and summoned the neighbouring nations to execute Jehovah’s judgment
against the oppressors of His people. And yet we read:-
"There shall come the Israelites, they and the Jews together:
They shall weep continually, as they go to seek Jehovah their God;
They shall ask their way to Zion, with their faces hitherward." [Jeremiah 50:4-5]
8

"Remove from the midst of Babylon, and be ye as he-goats before the flock."
[Jeremiah 50:8]
These verses imply that the Jews were already in Babylon, and throughout the
author assumes the circumstances of the Exile. "The vengeance of the Temple," i.e.,
vengeance for the destruction of the Temple at the final capture of Jerusalem, is
twice threatened. [Jeremiah 50:28; Jeremiah 51:11] The ruin of Babylon is
described as imminent:-
"Set up a standard on the earth,
Blow the trumpet among the nations,
Prepare the nations against her."
If these words were written by Jeremiah in the fourth year of Zedekiah, he certainly
was not practising his own precept to pray for the peace of Babylon.
Various theories have been advanced to meet the difficulties which are raised by the
ascription of this prophecy to Jeremiah. It may have been expanded from an
authentic original. Or again, Jeremiah 51:59-64 may not really refer to Jeremiah
50:1 - Jeremiah 51:58; the two sections may once have existed separately, and may
owe their connection to an editor, who met with Jeremiah 50:1-46; Jeremiah 51:1-58
as an anonymous document, and thought he recognised in it the "book" referred to
in Jeremiah 51:59-64. Or Jeremiah 50:1-46; Jeremiah 51:1-58 may be a hypothetical
reconstruction of a lost prophecy of Jeremiah 51:59-64 mentioned such a prophecy
and none was extant, and some student and disciple of Jeremiah’s school utilised the
material and ideas of extant writings to supply the gap. In any case. it must have
been edited more than once, and each time with modifications. Some support might
be obtained for any one of these theories from the fact that Jeremiah 50:1-46;
Jeremiah 51:1-58 is prima facie partly a cento of passages from the rest of the book
and from the Book of Isaiah. [Jeremiah 50:8; Jeremiah 51:6, with Isaiah 48:20;,
Jeremiah 50:13 with Jeremiah 49:17; Jeremiah 50:41-43 with Jeremiah 6:22-24;,
Jeremiah 50:44-46 with Jeremiah 49:19-21;, Jeremiah 51:15-19 with Isaiah
10:12-16]
In view of the great uncertainty as to the origin and history of this prophecy, we do
not intend to attempt any detailed exposition. Elsewhere whatever non-Jeremianic
matter occurs in the book is mostly by way of expansion and interpretation, and
thus lies in the direct line of the prophet’s teaching. But the section on Babylon
attaches itself to the new departure in religious thought that is more fully expressed
in 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
9

65:1-25; Isaiah 66:1-24. Chapters 50, 51, may possibly be Jeremiah’s swan song,
called forth by one of those Pisgah visions of a new dispensation sometimes granted
to aged seers; but such visions of a new era and a new order can scarcely be
combined with earlier teaching. We will therefore only briefly indicate the character
and contents of this section.
It is apparently a mosaic, compiled from lost as well as extant sources; and dwells
upon a few themes with a persistent iteration of ideas and phrases hardly to be
paralleled elsewhere, even in the Book of Jeremiah. It has been reckoned that the
imminence of the attack on Babylon is introduced afresh eleven times, and its
conquest and destruction nine times. The advent of an enemy from the north is
announced four times. [Jeremiah 50:3;, Jeremiah 50:9; Jeremiah 51:41; Jeremiah
51:48]
The main theme is naturally that dwelt upon most frequently, the imminent
invasion of Chaldea by victorious enemies who shall capture and destroy Babylon.
Hereafter the great city and its territory will be a waste, howling wilderness:-
"Your mother shall be sore ashamed,
She that bare you shall be confounded;
Behold, she shall be the hindmost of the nations,
A wilderness, a parched land, and a desert.
Because of the wrath of Jehovah, it shall be uninhabited;
The whole land shall be a desolation.
Every one that goeth by Babylon
Shall hiss with astonishment because of all her plagues." [Jeremiah 50:12; Jeremiah
13:13; Jeremiah 50:39-40; Jeremiah 51:26; Jeremiah 51:29; Jeremiah 51:37;
Jeremiah 51:41-43]
The gods of Babylon, Bel and Merodach, and all her idols, are involved in her ruin,
and reference is made to the vanity and folly of idolatry. [Jeremiah 51:17-18] But
the wrath of Jehovah has been chiefly excited, not by false religion, but by the
wrongs inflicted by the Chaldeans on His Chosen People. He is moved to avenge His
Temple:- [Jeremiah 50:28]
"I will recompense unto Babylon
And all the inhabitants of Chaldea
10

All the evil which they wrought in Zion,
And ye shall see it-it is the utterance of Jehovah". [Jeremiah 51:24]
Though He thus avenge Judah, yet its former sins are not yet blotted out of the book
of His remembrance:-
"Their adversaries said, We incur no guilt.
Because they have sinned against Jehovah, the Pasture of Justice,
Against the Hope of their fathers, even Jehovah". [Jeremiah 50:7]
Yet now there is forgiveness:-
"The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none;
And the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found
For I will pardon the remnant that I preserve". [Jeremiah 50:20]
The Jews are urged to flee from Babylon, lest they should be involved in its
punishment, and are encouraged to return to Jerusalem and enter afresh into an
everlasting covenant with Jehovah. As in Jeremiah 31:1-40, Israel is to be restored
as well as Judah:-
"I will bring Israel again to his Pasture;
He shall feed on Carmel and Bashan;
His desires shall be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and in Gilead." [Jeremiah
50:19]
PETT, “ Introductory Words (Jeremiah 50:1).
Jeremiah 50:1
‘The word that YHWH spoke concerning Babylon, concerning the land of the
Chaldeans, by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet:
The importance of these words is underlined by the fact that Jeremiah wrote them
with his own hand (‘by the hand of Jeremiah the prophet’, compare Jeremiah 37:2).
It is the prophecy of the downfall of Babylon and all that it stood for, the downfall
of all that was anti-God, the downfall of secularism.
11

Verses 1-64
YHWH’s Judgment On Babylon And His Promises Concerning The Restoration Of
The Remnant Of His People (Jeremiah 50:1 to Jeremiah 51:64).
The series of prophecies against the nations had commenced with the prophecy
against Egypt, the greatest nation of the area south of the Euphrates. It now finishes
with a declaration of judgment against mighty Babylon, which at this time towered
over the nations of the whole area. It was also the centre of all that was seen as
debauched and debased, it magnified wealth, it engaged in all forms of idolatry and
its connected features, and it was glorified by the pagan world. It is representative
of much of civilisation today. Geographically Babylon was situated in the area that
is now southern Iraq. At the same time, however, alongside the judgments on
Babylon is the fact that the restoration of God’s people is assured. It is always God’s
aim to bring His people out of ‘Babylon’ to a place where they worship Him truly.
It must be recognised, as is clear from Isaiah’s prophecy, that Babylon was seen as
more than just a powerful nation that arose and fell over this period. Rather to
Israel it had symbolised all that was in rebellion against God from the beginning. It
was the great anti-God city which had commenced its rebellion against God at the
time of Nimrod and of the tower of Babel (Babylon) as far back as Genesis 10:10;
Genesis 11:1-9. It had led the incursion into Palestine in the time of Abraham
(Genesis 14:1 - Shinar = Babylon). And it would shortly underline its invidious
position by its destruction of the Temple of YHWH, an act which would have so
appalled all Israelites, that it would have been seen as confirming that Babylon was
the great Anti-God. While not always independent its splendour and magnificence
was renowned throughout the area, a symbol of all that was worldly and debauched.
It contained over fifty temples to various gods, was at one stage 200 square miles in
size, being built on both sides of the Euphrates, and had huge walls, containing 250
towers, along the top of which chariots could drive. Alexander the Great intended to
make it the capital of his empire. Thus the fall of Babylon represented not only the
cessation of a great empire, but the destruction of all that was anti-God from the
beginning of recorded time. That is why prophecies against it always have such
prominence. It was not just literal but symbolic. And it is significant that here in
Jeremiah its judgment occupies almost as much space as the remainder of the
prophecies against foreign nation put together. It is an indication that YHWH will
not only restore His people, but will also finally deal with all that is ‘Anti-God’.
Thus while Jeremiah had earlier counselled submission to Babylon (e.g. Jeremiah
29:5-7), seen as God’s instrument of chastening, it had always been in the light of
the coming ultimate destruction of Babylon, and the final restoration of Israel,
which are the subjects of what follows. YHWH’s purposes would finally prevail.
It should be noted that unless we dogmatically assert that predictive prophecy is
impossible, there are no grounds for refusing to attribute these prophecies to
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Jeremiah. There are indications of his style, and, as is revealed by his letters, he was
sufficiently cognisant of what was going on in Babylon to be able to speak of it with
some knowledge.
One last word should be said here. The importance of these chapters lies precisely in
what Babylon represented, something which is equally prevalent in the world today.
Babylon turned men’s thoughts to the supernatural world which was antagonistic to
God, to entering the psychic world; it turned men’s minds to the desire for building
up great wealth; it raised in men’s hearts thoughts of great pride and greed. The
condemnation of Babylon is therefore a condemnation of all these things. That is
one of its major messages for us today. If we shy away from the continuing threats
being made against Babylon, we overlook the fact that God is equally vehement in
His condemnation of all these traits in our world today. Every verse of these next
two chapters should hammer into us the message, ‘God will call all things into
account, and here is the evidence’.
PULPIT, “Jeremiah 50:1-46. AND 51. ON BABYLON.
We have now reached a point at which some reference is necessary to the centre
versies of the so called "higher criticism." An attempt must be made to put the
reader in possession of the data which are so variously estimated by critics of
different schools. Theological considerations need not, and therefore ought not, to
be admitted; like every other critical question, that which we are now approaching
can be argued out on purely literary grounds. At first sight, indeed, it would appear
not to require a long debate, seeing that in Jeremiah 1:1 and Jeremiah 51:60 the
prophecy is expressly attributed to Jeremiah. But, on the other hand, it must be
observed that the authorship of the heading in Jeremiah 1:1 is altogether obscure;
very possibly, like those of so many of the psalms, the heading may be incorrect.
And as to Jeremiah 51:60, can we be absolutely certain that the expression, "all
these words," was intended to refer to the prophecy which now precedes Jeremiah
51:59-64? No doubt Jeremiah did write a prophecy against Babylon, and give it to
Seraish with the charge described in Jeremiah 51:61-64. But how do we know that
this prophecy has come down to us in the form in which it was written?
This attitude of reserve is not assumed without substantial grounds, derived from
two sources—the epilogue (Jeremiah 51:59-64) and the prophecy itself. First, as to
the epilogue. It is clear that the words, "and they shall be weary," are out of place in
Jeremiah 51:64, and that they are wrongly repeated from Jeremiah 51:58. But how
came they to be repeated? Because, originally, the declaration, "Thus far are the
words of Jeremiah," stood at the end of verse 58. When the short narrative in verses
59-64 (ending at "I will bring upon her") was combined with Jeremiah 1:1-51:58,
the declaration in question was removed from Jeremiah 51:58 to Jeremiah 51:64,
and, by accident, the preceding word (in the Hebrew) was removed with it. This
leaves it open to us to doubt whether the present prophecy on Babylon is really the
one referred to in Jeremiah 51:60, supposing, that is, there are other reasons,
derived from the prophecy itself, for questioning its Jeremianic authorship.
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The reasons which have been adduced for doing so are analogous to those which
lead so many students to doubt the Isaianic authorship of Isaiah 40:1-31 :46. ‹je-5›
I. The author of the latter prophecy (or the greater part thereof) writes as if he were
living at the close of the Babylonian exile. So does the author of Isaiah 1:1-31 and
Isaiah 51:1-23. "Yet a little while," he says (Jeremiah 51:33), "and the time of her
harvest shall come" the time, that is, of that judicial interposition which (comp.
Isaiah 17:5, Isaiah 17:11; Matthew 13:39) is the heavenly antitype of harvest. He
urges his fellow countrymen to flee, while there is still time, from the doomed city
(Jeremiah 51:6, Jeremiah 51:45). He mentions, as the instruments of the Divine
vengeance, the Medes (Jeremiah 51:11, Jeremiah 51:28), and, as it would seem,
refers, though obscurely, to Cyrus (Jeremiah 51:20-23).
2. Although the above statement is literally true of most of Isaiah 40:1-31 :66; yet
there are some passages which are much more suggestive of a Palestinian origin
than of a Babylonian (see Cheyne's 'Prophecies of Isaiah,' 2:202). Precisely so in
Isaiah 50:1-11 and Isaiah 51:1-23; at least according to one prevalent interpretation
of Jeremiah 50:5; Jeremiah 51:50 (which are thought to imply a residence in
Jerusalem); Jeremiah 50:28; Jeremiah 51:11, Jeremiah 51:35, Jeremiah 51:51
(suggestive, perhaps, of the continuance of Jerusalem and the temple); Jeremiah
1:17; Jeremiah 51:34 (implying, as some think, that Nebuchadnezzar was still alive).
Still, there is so much doubt respecting the soundness of the inferences, that it is
hardly safe to rely too confidently upon them. The case of Jeremiah 1:1-19, and
Jeremiah 51:1-64. is, therefore, in so far rather less favourable to Jeremiah's
authorship than that of Isaiah 40-66, is to that of Isaiah.
3. Amongst much that is new and strange in the style of phraseology of Isaiah 40-66;
there is not a little that reminds one forcibly of the old Isaiah. Similarly with Isaiah
50:1-11 and Isaiah 51:1-23, as compared with Jeremiah, "Every impartial judge,"
says Kuenen (who will not be suspected of a prejudice for tradition), "must admit
that the number of parallel passages is very large, and that the author of Jeremiah
50:1-46 and Jeremiah 51:1-64. agrees with no one more than with Jeremiah." For
instance, the formula, "Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel" (Jeremiah
1:18; Jeremiah 51:33), also occurs in Jeremiah 7:3; Jeremiah 9:15, and some
twenty-six other passages; comp. also Jeremiah 1:3 with Jeremiah 9:9; Jeremiah 1:5
with Jeremiah 32:40; Jeremiah 1:7 with Jeremiah 2:3, Jeremiah 14:18, Jeremiah
17:13; and see other passages referred to in the Exposition.
The probability would, therefore, appear to be that, whatever solution we adopt for
the literary problems of Isaiah 40-66; an analogous solution must be adopted for
Isaiah 50:1-11 and Isaiah 51:1-23. The whole question is so large, and connects itself
with so many other problems, that the present writer declines to pronounce upon it
here. Only it should be observed
Here, in justification of
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(a) "To consecrate [or, 'sanctify']," used of persons, Jeremiah 51:27; Isaiah 13:3.
Here only (elsewhere with "war" following).
(b) "Lift ye up a banner," Jeremiah 50:2; Jeremiah 51:27; also Isaiah 13:2.
(c) Comp. Jeremiah 50:16 with Isaiah 13:14; close phraseological agreement.
(d) Comp. Jeremiah 50:6, Jeremiah 50:17 with first part of Jeremiah 13:14;
agreement as to sense.
(e) "Behold, I will stir up against Babylon," Jeremiah 51:1 (comp. Jeremiah 50:9);
so Isaiah 13:17. Comp. also, however, Isaiah 41:25; Joel 3:1-21. (Hebrew, 4.) 7-9.
(f) Comp. Jeremiah 51:3 (Jeremiah 50:14, Jeremiah 50:29) with Isaiah 13:18;
agreement as to sense.
(g) Comp. Jeremiah 51:11, Jeremiah 51:28 with Isaiah 13:17 (mention of the
Medes).
(h) Comp. Jeremiah 50:39, Jeremiah 50:40 with Isaiah 13:19-22.
This last parallel may, perhaps, be questioned. At first sight it may appear that both
Jeremiah 50:40 and Isaiah 13:19 are based upon Jeremiah 49:18 (which see), but
when we inspect Isaiah 13:19 more closely in the Hebrew, we shall find reason to
conclude that the original, both of this passage and of Jeremiah 50:40, is Amos 4:11.
We must, therefore, put Jeremiah 49:18 out of the question, and learn to be on our
guard against plausible inferences. The only point which remains to be decided is
the relation between Jeremiah 50:40 and Isaiah 13:19; which passage is the
original? One important element in our decision will be the naturalness in the mode
of reference to Sodom and Gomorrah; to the present writer this seems to determine
the question against Isaiah 50:1-11 and Isaiah 51:1-23. and in favour of Isaiah
13:1-22. (The imitation is limited to Isaiah 13:1-22. because Isaiah 14:1-32. passes on
to another though a related subject.)
And here, in justification of
(a) Ideas and "motives."
( α) Figure of scattered flock, Jeremiah 50:6, Jeremiah 50:7 (Ezekiel 34:1-31.).
( β) Effects of the avenging Sword of Jehovah, Jeremiah 5:1-31 :35-38 (Ezekiel
21:1-32 :80; Ezekiel 33:1-6).
(b) Words and phrases
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( α) No word is more distinctly peculiar to Ezekiel than gillulim, idol blocks, which
occurs no less than thirty-nine times in his book, and elsewhere only once in
Leviticus, once in Deuteronomy, six times in Kings, and once in Jeremiah (Jeremiah
50:2).
( β) Anaq, to groan, occurs thrice in Ezekiel, once in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 51:52), and
nowhere else. It is remarkable that in the latter passage we find not only a word but
a phrase of Ezekiel's (see Ezekiel 26:13).
( γ) Pekod, the name of a Chaldean district, occurs in Jeremiah 50:21; also Ezekiel
23:23.
( δ) The striking combination, pakhoth useghanim, occurs in Jeremiah 51:28,
Jeremiah 51:57; also Ezekiel 23:6, Ezekiel 23:12, Ezekiel 23:23.
( ε) Kasdim for "Chaldea" (properly the Chaldeans), Jeremiah 51:10; Jeremiah
51:24, Jeremiah 51:35; also Ezekiel 16:29; Ezekiel 23:16.
( ζ) Ch. 51:25, 26 seems to allude to Ezekiel 35:3-5, Ezekiel 35:9 (see the Hebrew,
and verify the statement by the Hebrew concordance).
(c) General characteristics of style. Granting that the style of ch. 50. and It.
approaches nearest on the whole to that of Jeremiah, it must be admitted, in the
words of the latest German critic, Budde, that it "frequently enough declines from
the simple, plain, and rather loose style of Jeremiah, to the flowery and turgid
manner of speech of Ezekiel;" also that the points of contact are such as imply the
originality of Ezekiel and the dependence upon him of ch. 50 and 51.
Jeremiah 50:1
Against; rather, concerning.
Jeremiah 50:2-10
Babylon's fall and Israel's deliverance.
2 “Announce and proclaim among the nations,
lift up a banner and proclaim it;
keep nothing back, but say,
‘Babylon will be captured;
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Bel will be put to shame,
Marduk filled with terror.
Her images will be put to shame
and her idols filled with terror.’
CLARKE, "Declare ye among the nations - God’s determination relative to this
empire.
Set up a standard - Show the people where they are to assemble.
Say, Babylon is taken - It is a thing so firmly determined, that it is as good as
already done.
Bel - The tutelar deity of Babylon is confounded, because it cannot save its own city.
Merodach - Another of their idols, is broken to pieces; it was not able to save itself,
much less the whole empire.
Her idols are confounded - It is a reproach to have acknowledged them.
Her images - Great and small, golden and wooden, are broken to pieces; even the
form of them no longer appears.
GILL, "Declare ye among the nations,.... The taking of Babylon; a piece of news, in
which the nations of the world had a concern, as well as the Jews, being brought under
the Babylonish yoke, from which they would now be freed; and therefore such a
declaration must be very acceptable and joyful to them. Some take these words to be the
words of God to the prophet; others, the words of Jeremiah to the nations; the meaning
is only, that such a declaration should be made, and such things done, as follow:
and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not; cause it to be
heard far and near; and, that it may be heard, set up a sign or standard, to gather the
people together to hear it; for this standard was not to be set up for the enlisting of men,
or gathering them together, to go up and fight against Babylon, since it was now taken;
but as a token of victory, and as expressive joy, on account of it; or rather for the reason
given; see Isa_13:2;
say, Babylon is taken; this is the thing to be declared, published, and not concealed;
but with an audible voice to be pronounced, and rung throughout the several nations of
the earth. Thus, when the everlasting Gospel is preached to every nation on earth, and
Christ is set up in it as an ensign and standard to the people; it shall be everywhere
published, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen", Rev_14:6;
Bel is confounded; an idol of the Babylonians, thought by some to be the same with
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Baal by contraction; he is by the Septuagint called Belus, the name of one of their kings;
who might be idolized after his death, as was usual among the Heathen lions: he is said
to be "confounded", because he must have been, could he have been sensible of the
taking of Babylon, where his temple stood, and he was worshipped, since he was not able
to protect it; or rather, because his worshippers were confounded, that gloried in him,
and put their trust in him. So the Targum,
"they are confounded that worship Bel;''
See Gill on Isa_46:1.
Merodach is broken in pieces; another of their idols, which signifies a "pure lord";
some of their kings had this as one of their names, Isa_39:1. The Targum is,
"they are broken that worshipped Merodach;''
her idols are confounded, her images are broken to pieces; these were their
lesser deities, as the other two were their greater ones; all should be destroyed along
with it; as all the idols and images of the church of Rome will, when that is destroyed,
Rev_9:20.
JAMISON, "Declare ... among ... nations — who would rejoice at the fall of
Babylon their oppressor.
standard — to indicate the place of meeting to the nations where they were to hear
the good news of Babylon’s fall [Rosenmuller]; or, the signal to summon the nations
together against Babylon (Jer_51:12, Jer_51:27), [Maurer].
Bel — the tutelary god of Babylon; the same idol as the Phoenician Baal, that is, lord,
the sun (Isa_46:1).
confounded — because unable to defend the city under their protection.
Merodach — another Babylonian idol; meaning in Syria “little lord”; from which
Merodach-baladan took his name.
K&D, "The fall of Babylon, and deliverance of Israel. - Jer_50:2. "Tell it among the
nations, and cause it to be heard, and lift up a standard; cause it to be heard, conceal it
not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is ashamed, Merodach is confounded; her images are
ashamed, her idols are confounded. Jer_50:3. For there hath come up against her a
nation out of the north; it will make her land a desolation, and there shall be not an
inhabitant in it: from man to beast, [all] have fled, are gone. Jer_50:4. In those days,
and at that time, saith Jahveh, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children
of Judah together; they shall go, weeping as they go, and shall seek Jahveh their God.
Jer_50:5. They shall ask for Zion, with their faces [turned to] the road hitherwards,
[saying], Come, and let us join ourselves to Jahveh by an eternal covenant [which]
shall not be forgotten. Jer_50:6. My people have been a flock of lost ones; their
shepherds have misled them [on] mountains which lead astray: from mountain to hill
they went; they forgot their resting-place. Jer_50:7. All who found them have devoured
them; and their enemies said, We are not guilty, for they have sinned against Jahveh,
the dwelling-place of justice, and the hope of their fathers, Jahveh. Jer_50:8. Flee out of
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the midst of Babylon, and from the land of the Chaldeans; let them go forth, and let
them be like he-goats before a flock. Jer_50:9. For, behold, I will stir up, and bring up
against Babylon, an assembly of great nations out of the land of the north: and they
shall array themselves against her; on that side shall she be taken: his arrows [are]
like [those of] a skilful hero [who] does not return empty. Jer_50:10. And [the land of
the] Chaldeans shall become a spoil; all those who spoil her shall be satisfied, saith
Jahveh."
In the spirit Jeremiah sees the fall of Babylon, together with its idols, as if it had
actually taken place, and gives the command to proclaim among the nations this event,
which brings deliverance for Israel and Judah. The joy over this is expressed in the
accumulation of the words for the summons to tell the nations what has happened. On
the expression, cf. Jer_4:5-6; Jer_46:14. The lifting up of a standard, i.e., of a signal-rod,
served for the more rapid spreading of news; cf. Jer_4:6; Jer_6:1, Isa_13:2, etc. "Cause
it to be heard" is intensified by the addition of "do not conceal it." The thing is to be
proclaimed without reserve; cf. Jer_38:14. "Babylon is taken," i.e., conquered, and her
idols have become ashamed, inasmuch as, from their inability to save their city, their
powerlessness and nullity have come to light. Bel and Merodach are not different
divinities, but merely different names for the chief deity of the Babylonians. Bel = Baal,
the Jupiter of the Babylonians, was, as Bel-merodach, the tutelary god of Babylon. "The
whole of the Babylonian dynasty," says Oppert, Expéd. en Mésopot. ii. p. 272, "places
him [Merodach] at the head of the gods; and the inscription of Borsippa calls him the
king of heaven and earth." ‫ים‬ ִ‫בּ‬ַ‫ֲצ‬‫ע‬, "images of idols," and ‫ים‬ ִ‫לּוּל‬ִ‫,גּ‬ properly "logs," an
expression of contempt for idols (see on Lev_26:30), are synonymous ideas for
designating the nature and character of the Babylonian gods.
CALVIN, "He predicts the ruin of Babylon, not in simple words, for nothing
seemed then more unreasonable than to announce the things which God at length
proved by the effect. As Babylon was then the metropolis of the East, no one could
have thought that it would ever be possessed by a foreign power. No one could have
thought of the Persians, for they were far off. As to the Medes, who were nearer,
they were, as we know, sunk in their own luxuries, and were deemed but half men.
As then there was so much effeminacy in the Medes, and as the Persians were so far
off and inclosed in their own mountains, Babylon peaceably enjoyed the empire of
the whole eastern world. This, then, is the reason why the Prophet expresses at large
what he might have set forth in a very few words.
Tell, he says, among the nations, publish, raise up a sign, and again, publish To
what purpose is such a heap of words? even that the faithful might learn to raise up
their thoughts above the world, and to look for that which was then, according to
the judgment of all, incredible. This confidence shews that Jeremiah did not, in vain,
foretell what he states; but he thundered as it were from heaven, knowing whence
he derived this prophecy. And his proclamation was this, Babylon is taken, Bel is
confounded, and Merodach is broken I know not why some think that Merodach
was an idol: for as to Bel, we know that the Babylonians trusted in that god, or
rather in that figment. But the Prophet mentions here evidently the name of a king
well known to the Jews, in order to show that Babylon, with all its defences and its
wealth, was already devoted to destruction: for we know that men look partly to
19

some god, and partly to human or temporal means. So the Babylonians boasted that
they were under the protection of Bel, and dared proudly to set up this idol in
opposition to the only true God, as the unbelieving do; and then in the second place,
they were inebriated with confidence in their own power: and hypocrisy ever rules
in the unbelieving, so that they arrogate to themselves much more than what they
ascribe to their idols. It is then the same thing as though he had said, that Babylon
was taken, that Bel was confounded, and that the kingdom was broken, or broken in
pieces. (50)
The name Merodach, as I have said, was well known among the Jews, and mention
is made of a father and of a son of this name, by Isaiah and in sacred history. (Isaiah
39:1; 2 Kings 20:12.) It is no wonder, then, that the Prophet should name this king,
though dead, on account of the esteem in which he was held, as we have seen in the
case of the kingdom of Syria, he mentioned Ben-hadad, though no one supposes that
he was then alive; but as Ben-hadad distinguished himself above other kings of
Syria, the Prophet introduced his name. For the same reason, in my opinion, he
names Merodach here.
The sum of the whole is, that though Babylon thought itself safe and secure through
the help of its idol, and also through its wealth and warlike power, and through
other defences, yet its confidence would become vain and empty, for God would
bring to shame its idol and destroy its king. He again returned to the idols, and not
without reason; for he thus called the attention of his own nation to the only true
God, and also reminded them how detestable was the idolatry which then prevailed
among the Chaldeans. And it was necessary to set this doctrine before the Jews, and
to impress it on them, that they might not abandon themselves to the superstitions of
heathens, as it happened. But the Prophet designedly spoke of images and idols, that
the Jews might know that it was the only true God who had adopted them, and that
thus they might acquiesce in his power, and know that those were only vain fictions
which were much made of through the whole world by the heathens and
unbelieving. It now follows —
Taken is Babylon, Confounded is Bel, Terrified is Merodach; Confounded are her
images, Terrified are her idols.
The word for “images” means labor, and refers to the labor and pains taken by
those who made them; and the word for “idols” means a trunk or log of wood from
which they were made. — Ed.
WHEDON, “ THE FALL OF BABYLON AND DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL,
Jeremiah 50:2-10.
2. Set up (rather, as the margin, lift up) a standard — As a means of spreading the
good news.
Bel… Merodach — These are not two separate deities, but rather two names
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suggesting two aspects of one deity. “Bel” is the Aramean divinity answering to the
Phenician Baal, the Phenician and Babylonian Jupiter. “Merodach” is the same, as
the tutelar god of Babylon.
TRAPP, “Jeremiah 50:2 Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a
standard; publish, [and] conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded,
Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in
pieces.
Ver. 2. Declare ye among the nations.] Let all take notice of the good news; there
shall be a general jail delivery, sing therefore Io triumphe.
Say, Babylon is taken.] So Isaiah 21:9.
Bel is confounded.] This Bel was Nimrod, whose nephew Ninus set him up for a god.
Merodach (a restorer of their empire, (a) whereof Nimrod had been founder) was
likewise idolised. They are called "dirty deities" - foedites et stercora, a name good
enough for them - and said to be confounded. See Isaiah 46:1. "Sorrows" also;
because "their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God." [Psalms
16:4]
PETT, “Verses 2-5
The Fall Of Babylon Will Lead On To The Spiritual Restoration Of Israel
(Jeremiah 50:2-5).
What is to come on Babylon is to be a warning to God’s people not to trust in
Babylon or enjoy its debauchery and its false religious ideas. Rather they are to take
heed to YHWH’s words and return to Him in repentance and tears. For God’s
purpose is not only the destruction of Babylon, but the spiritual restoration of His
people. And this is equally true for us today.
Jeremiah 50:2-3
“Declare you among the nations and publish,
And set up a standard (or ‘signal’),
Publish, and conceal not,
Say, ‘Babylon is taken!’
Bel is put to shame,
Merodach (Marduk) is dismayed,
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Her images are put to shame,
Her idols are dismayed.
For out of the north there comes up a nation against her,
Who will make her land desolate,
And none will dwell in it,
They are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.”
The prophet looks ahead and speaks as though Babylon’s defeat has just occurred.
It is such an important and exciting event that the news has to be spread far and
wide, by messenger, by signal fire, and by every other means. And the message is
that ‘Babylon is taken’. It was news for which the world of that day had long
waited. And not only is Babylon taken but also her chief god, Bel/Marduk, is put to
shame (as he had been once before when Sennacherib had borne him off to Nineveh
along with Nebo - Isaiah 46:1-2), along with all her other idols. The humiliation of
the gods of these nations is an important aspect of Jeremiah’s prophecies (Jeremiah
46:25; Jeremiah 48:7; Jeremiah 49:3). They had been seen by these nations as rivals
of YHWH. Now they were being revealed for what they were.
Nebuchadrezzar himself boasted of himself as a ‘worshipper of Marduk’, and
confirmed it by naming his son ‘Amel-marduk (Evil-merodach)’, whilst in
inscriptions at Borsippa Marduk is described as ‘the great lord, the most ancient of
the gods, the lord of the gates of heaven --’. Here ‘he’ is being brought down to size.
The antagonists who will do this will come ‘out of the north’ (compare Jeremiah
1:14; Jeremiah 4:6; Jeremiah 6:1; Jeremiah 10:22; Jeremiah 13:20; Jeremiah 46:20’
Jeremiah 47:2; Jeremiah 50:9; Jeremiah 50:41; Jeremiah 51:48). From the point of
view of Palestine Egypt was to the south. The ‘neighbouring nations’ were east and
west. Any invaders must therefore come ‘from the north’. (To Babylon the Persians
came from the east, bur from the Palestinian viewpoint from the north. Cyrus did
not destroy Babylon, but sought to preserve its ancient structures. It was finally
destroyed by Xerxes in 478 BC). These invaders will make her land desolate and
uninhabited.
‘None will dwell in it. They are fled, they are gone, both man and beast.’ For this
compare Jeremiah 46:19; Jeremiah 49:18; Jeremiah 49:33. What Babylon have
done to others, will be done to them. Alexander the Great planned to restore the
city, but died before it could be accomplished, and it began to deteriorate further.
By the Christian era Babylon had virtually disappeared, although according to
cuneiform texts the temple of Bel continued in existence until at least 75 AD.
PULPIT, “Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 50:3
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The prophet, with the eye of faith, sees his revelation accomplished. Babylon (like
Moab) is taken; her idols are destroyed. In his exuberant joy, he calls on the
bystanders to proclaim the good news to the sympathetic nations, and to set up (or
rather, lift up) a standard (as Jeremiah 4:6), to call the attention of those who might
not be within hearing of the proclamation. The idols have been convicted of false
pretensions; they are ashamed and dismayed (so we should render rather than
confounded and broken in pieces) at the terrible result to their worshippers. Bel and
Merodach are not different deifies, but merely different names of one of the two
principal gods of the later Babylonian empire. Bel, it is true, was originally distinct
from Merodach, but ultimately identified with him. Merodach was the tutelary god
of Babylon, and Nebuchadnezzar seems to have been specially addicted to his
worship, though, indeed, he mentions Nebo also with hardly less honour. This is the
beginning of an inscription of this king's, preserved at the India
House:—"Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, glorious prince, worshipper of
Marduk, adorer of the lofty one, glorifier of Nabu, the exalted, the possessor of
intelligence" (Mr. Rodwell's translation, 'Records of the Past,' 5:113). Elsewhere
Nebuchadnezzar speaks of Marduk as "the god my maker," "the chief of the gods,"
and of himself as "his (Marduk's) eldest son, the chosen of his heart." Her images. It
is a very peculiar word (gillulim), specially frequent in Ezekiel, and also found in a
chapter of Leviticus with which Ezekiel has affinities (Le 26:30). It evidently
involves a sore disparagement of idol worship. The etymological meaning is "things
rolled," which may be variously interpreted as "idol blocks" (Gesenius), or "doll
images" (Ewald).
3 A nation from the north will attack her
and lay waste her land.
No one will live in it;
both people and animals will flee away.
BARNES, "Out of the north - Media lay to the northwest of Babylon. This constant
use of the north, the quarter where the sun never shines, and therefore the region of
darkness, is symbolic of the region from where danger ever comes.
They shall remove ... - Translate it (as in Jer_9:10): “from man even to cattle they
are fled, they are gone.”
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CLARKE, "Out of the north there cometh up a nation - The Medes, who
formed the chief part of the army of Cyrus, lay to the north or north-east of Babylon.
Shall make her land desolate - This war, and the consequent taking of the city,
began those disasters that brought Babylon in process of time to complete desolation; so
that now it is not known where it stood, the whole country being a total solitude.
GILL, "For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her,.... The
Medes and Persians, which under Cyrus were one nation; and which not only lay north
of Judea, where this prophecy came, but of Babylon, against which they were to come;
and might lay more north to it, before the enlargement of their dominions; and besides,
Cyrus came through Assyria to Babylon, which lay north of it; see Isa_41:25. Thus, as
Rome Pagan was sacked and taken by the Goths and Vandals, that came out of the north;
so Rome Papal, and the antichristian states, will be destroyed by the Christian princes of
the north, or those who have embraced what the Papists call the northern heresy; tidings
out of the north shall trouble antichrist, Dan_11:44;
which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein; that is, in
process of time; for this desolation was not made at once; it was begun by Cyrus, made
greater by Darius, and completed by Seleucus Nicator;
they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast; or, "from man to
beast" (d); such as were not slain should either flee away or be carried captive; so that in
time none should remain, either of man or beast; see Isa_13:19; and for the
accomplishment of it on mystical Babylon see Rev_18:2.
JAMISON, "a nation — the Medes, north of Babylon (Jer_51:48). The devastation
of Babylon here foretold includes not only that by Cyrus, but also that more utter one by
Darius, who took Babylon by artifice when it had revolted from Persia, and mercilessly
slaughtered the inhabitants, hanging four thousand of the nobles; also the final
desertion of Babylon, owing to Seleucia having been built close by under Seleucus
Nicanor.
CALVIN, "Let what I have before said be borne in mind, that the Prophet makes
use of many words in describing the ruin of Babylon; for it was not enough to
predict what was to be; but as weak minds vacillated, it was necessary to add a
confirmation. After having then spoken of the power of Babylon and its idols, he
now points out the way in which it was to be destroyed — a nation would come from
the north, that is, with reference to Chaldea. And he means the Medes and Persians,
as interpreters commonly think; and this is probable, because he afterwards adds
that the Jews would then return. As then Jeremiah connects these two things
together, the destruction of Babylon and the restoration of God’s Church, it is
probable that he refers here to the Medes and Persians. If, at the same time, we
more narrowly view things, there is no doubt but that this prophecy extends further,
and this will appear more evident as we proceed.
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He simply says now that a nation would come from the north, which would turn the
land to a waste This clause shews that this prophecy could not be fitly confined to
the time when Babylon was taken by Cyrus; for we know that it was betrayed by
two Satraps during a siege; and that it was at a time when a feast was held, as
though there was peace and security, as Daniel testifies, with whom heathen writers
agree. Now Xenophon testifies that Cyrus exercised great forbearanceand humanity,
and that he used his victory with such moderation, that Babylon seemed as though it
had not been taken. It had, indeed, changed masters, but such was the change that
the citizens readily submitted to it. But it was afterwards more hardly dealt with,
when Darius recovered it by the aid of Zopyrus; for Babylon had revolted from the
Persians, and shook off the yoke. Darius having in vain stormed it, at length
recovered it by the help of one man; for Zopyrus, having cut off his nose, and
mutilated his ears and his face, pretended, in this deformed manner, to be a fugitive,
and complained of the cruelty and barbarity of his king, with whom yet he was most
intimate. The city was soon afterwards taken by treachery in the night. Then about
four thousand of the Persians were hung in the middle of the Forum, nor did Darius
spare the people. The Prophet then seems to include this second destruction when he
predicted that the whole land would be made desolate. Nor ought this to be deemed
unreasonable, for the Prophets so spoke of God’s judgments, that they extended
what they said further than to the commencement, as was the case in the present
instance.
When, therefore, Babylon was taken by the Persians, it received the yoke; and she
which ruled over all other nations, was reduced to a state of servitude. For the
Persians, as it is well known, were very inhuman, and Isaiah describes them so at
large. In the meantime, the city, as I have said, retained its external appearance. The
citizens were robbed of their gold and silver, and of their precious things, and were
under the necessity of serving strangers: this was bitter to them. But when Darius
punished their perfidy and hung so many of the chief men, about four thousand,
and also shed indiscriminately the blood of the people, and subjected the city itself
to the plunder of his soldiers, then doubtless what the Prophet says here was more
fully accomplished. It was yet God’s purpose to give only a prelude of his vengeance,
when he made the Babylonians subject to the Medes and Persians. It now follows —
TRAPP, “Jeremiah 50:3 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her,
which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove,
they shall depart, both man and beast.
Ver. 3. For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her,] i.e., Out of Media
and Persia, which lay northward from Chaldea. The Jews had their bane out of the
north (as had been foretold, Jeremiah 1:14-15), scil., from Babylon. And now
Babylon is to be baned from the same quarter. This was some comfort, doubtless, to
the poor Jews in captivity.
Which shall make her land desolate.] This was not fulfilled till many years after.
Cyrus indeed began it, but Seleucus Nicanor finished it, by building near unto it
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another great city called Seleucia. (a)
PULPIT. “Out of the north. There was a peculiar mystery attaching to the north in
the Hebrew mind, as, in fact, the word very for "north" in Hebrew (literally, the
hidden) indicates. The burnt offering was to be sacrificed on the north side of the
altar (Le Jeremiah 1:11), and the four cherubim, in the vision of Ezekiel, are
described as coming from the north (Ezekiel 1:4). The horror with which Babylon
was regarded was intensified, apparently, by its northern position (Jeremiah 1:14),
and now the "hidden" north again pours forth its swarms of warriors against
Babylon herself. They shall remove, they shall depart; rather, they are fled, they are
gone; almost the same clause occurs in Jeremiah 9:10. The prediction is realized as
past.
4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah
together
will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.
BARNES, "The fall of Babylon is to be immediately followed by the return of the
exiles homewards, in tearful procession, because they go as penitents; and yet with joy,
because their faces are toward Zion. The cessation moreover of the schism between
Israel and Judah is one of the signs of the times of the Messiah Isa_11:12-13, and
symbolically represents the gathering together of the warring empires of the world under
the peaceful scepter of the Church’s King.
Going and weeping: they shall go - Omit the colon; i. e., “they go ever onward
weeping.”
CLARKE, "The fall of Babylon is to be immediately followed by the return of the
exiles homewards, in tearful procession, because they go as penitents; and yet with joy,
because their faces are toward Zion. The cessation moreover of the schism between
Israel and Judah is one of the signs of the times of the Messiah Isa_11:12-13, and
symbolically represents the gathering together of the warring empires of the world under
the peaceful scepter of the Church’s King.
Going and weeping: they shall go - Omit the colon; i. e., “they go ever onward
26

weeping.”
GILL, "In those days, and at that time, saith the Lord,.... When Babylon shall be
taken and destroyed, then what follows shall be accomplished; which, as it respects the
conversion of the Jews, shows that this prophecy is not to be restrained to literal
Babylon:
the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together:
upon the taking of Babylon, in a literal sense, by Cyrus, the children of Israel, or the ten
tribes, carried away by the Assyrians, did not return; only the children of Judah, or the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites, and a few of the other tribes, that might
be mixed among them: but when mystical Babylon is fallen, then the whole body of the
Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, Israel and Judah; which is foretold
in other prophecies, as here, which speak of their general conversion; see Jer_30:3,
Hos_1:11;
going and weeping; which is another circumstance, which shows that this does not
respect the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for that was attended with
joy, and not with tears; see Psa_126:1; unless it is to be understood of weeping for joy,
and of tears of joy, as Kimchi interprets it; but it is better to understand it of that godly
sorrow and mourning for sin, which will appear in the Jews at the time of their
conversion; particularly for their fathers' ill treatment of the Messiah, their unbelief and
rejection of him, and their continued obstinacy and perverseness, and other sins; see
Jer_31:9;
they shall go and seem the Lord their God; even David their King, the true
Messiah, who is Lord and God; to him they shall seek for peace, pardon, righteousness,
and eternal life; and acknowledge him to be the Messiah, their Lord, and their God;
embrace his Gospel, and submit to his ordinances; see Jer_30:9. The Targum is,
"when they were carried captive, they went weeping; but when they return from the land
of their captivity, they shall seek the worship of the Lord their God.''
HENRY 4-5, “Here is a word spoken for the people of God, and for their comfort,
both the children of Israel and of Judah; for many there were of the ten tribes that
associated with those of the two tribes in their return out of Babylon. Now here,
1. It is promised that they shall return to their God first and then to their own land;
and the promise of their conversion and reformation is that which makes way for all the
other promises, Jer_50:4, Jer_50:5. (1.) They shall lament after the Lord (as the whole
house of Israel did in Samuel's time, 1Sa_7:2); they shall go weeping. These tears flow
not from the sorrow of the world as those when they went into captivity, but from godly
sorrow; they are tears of repentance for sin, tears of joy for the goodness of God, in the
dawning of the day of their deliverance, which, for aught that appears, does more
towards the bringing of them to mourn for sin than all the calamities of their captivity;
that prevails to lead them to repentance when the other did not prevail to drive them to
it. Note, It is a good sign that God is coming towards a people in ways of mercy when
they begin to be tenderly affected under his hand. (2.) They shall enquire after the Lord;
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they shall not sink under their sorrows, but bestir themselves to find out comfort where
it is to be had: They shall go weeping to seek the Lord their God. Those that seek the
Lord must seek him sorrowing, as Christ's parents sought him, Luk_2:48. And those
that sorrow must seek the Lord, and then their sorrow shall soon be turned into joy, for
he will be found of those that so seek him. They shall seek the Lord as their God, and
shall now have no more to do with idols. When they shall hear that the idols of Babylon
are confounded and broken it will be seasonable for them to enquire after their own God
and to return to him who lives for ever. Therefore men are deceived in false gods, that
they may depend on the true God only. (3.) They shall think of returning to their own
country again; they shall think of it not only as a mercy, but as a duty, because there only
is the holy hill of Zion, on which once stood the house of the Lord their God (Jer_50:5):
They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward. Zion was the city of their
solemnities; they often thought of it in the depth of their captivity (Psa_137:1); but, now
that the ruin of Babylon gave them some hopes of a release, they talk of nothing else but
of going back to Zion. Their hearts were upon it before, and now they set their faces
thitherward. They long to be there; they set out for Zion, and resolve not to take up
short of it. The journey is long and they know not the road, but they will ask the way, for
they will press forward till they come to Zion; and, as they are determined not to turn
back, so they are in care not to miss the way. This represents the return of poor souls to
God. Heaven is the Zion they aim at as their end; on this they have set their hearts;
towards this they have set their faces, and therefore they ask the way thither. They do
not ask the way to heaven and set their faces towards the world; nor set their faces
towards heaven and go on at a venture without asking the way. But in all true converts
there are both a sincere desire to attain the end and a constant care to keep in the way;
and a blessed sight it is to see people thus asking the way to heaven with their faces
thitherward. (4.) They shall renew their covenant to walk with God more closely for the
future: Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant. They had
broken covenant with God, had in effect separated themselves from him, but now they
resolve to join themselves to him again, by engaging themselves afresh to be his. Thus,
when backsliders return, they must do their first works, must renew the covenant they
first made; and it must be a perpetual covenant, that must never be broken; and, in
order to that, must never be forgotten; for a due remembrance of it will be the means of
a due observance of it.
JAMISON, "Fulfilled only in part when some few of the ten tribes of “Israel” joined
Judah in a “covenant” with God, at the restoration of Judah to its land (Neh_9:38; Neh_
10:29). The full event is yet to come (Jer_31:9; Hos_1:11; Zec_12:10).
weeping — with joy at their restoration beyond all hope; and with sorrow at the
remembrance of their sins and sufferings (Ezr_3:12, Ezr_3:13; Psa_126:5, Psa_126:6).
seek ... Lord — (Hos_3:5).
CALVIN, "The Prophet now explains more clearly the purpose of God, that in
punishing so severely the Chaldeans, his object was to provide for the safety of his
Church. For had Jeremiah spoken only of vengeance, the Jews might have still
raised an objection and said, “It will not profit us at all, that God should be a severe
judge towards our enemies, if we are to remain under their tyranny.” Then the
Prophet shews that the destruction of Babylon would be connected with the
deliverance of the chosen people; and thus he points out, as it were by the finger, the
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reason why Babylon was to be destroyed, even for the sake of the chosen people, so
that the miserable exiles may take courage, and not doubt but that God would at
length be propitious, as Jeremiah had testified to them, having, as we have seen,
prefixed the term of seventy years. He was derided by the Jews, who had so
habituated themselves to hardness of heart, that they counted as nothing, or at least
regarded as fables, all the reproofs and threatenings of God, and also gave heed, as
we have seen, to the flatteries of the false prophets.
Jeremiah now promises that God would be their liberator after the time of exile had
passed, of which he had spoken. Thus we perceive the design of this passage, in
which the Prophet, after having referred to the destruction of Babylon, makes a
sudden transition, and refers to God’s mercy, which he would show to the Jews
after they had suffered a just punishment: In those days, he says, and at that time —
he adds the appointed time, that the Jews might not doubt but that the Chaldeans
would be subdued, because God had appointed them to destruction.
He says, Come shall the children of Israel, they and the children of Judah together;
and he says this, that they might still suspend their desires. He commends here the
greatness of God’s favor, because the condition of the Church would be better after
the exile than it was before. The ten tribes, as we know, had separated from the
kingdom of Judah; and that separation was as it were the tearing asunder of the
body. For God had adopted the seed of Abraham for this end, that they might be
one body under one head; but they willfully made a defection, so that both
kingdoms became mutilated. The kingdom of Israel became indeed accursed, for it
had separated from the family of David, and this separation was in a manner an
impious denial of God. As then the children of Israel had alienated themselves from
the Church, and the kingdom of the ten tribes had become spurious, their condition
was doubtless miserable (though the Jews as well as the Israelites were alike
inebriated with their own lusts).
But what does our Prophet now say? They shall return together, the children of
Israel and the children of Judah; that is, God will not only gather the dispersed, but
will also apply such a remedy, that there will no more be any separation; but that on
the contrary a brotherly concord will prevail between the ten tribes and the tribe of
Judah, when God shall restore them again to himself. We now then perceive what
the Prophet had in view: there is, indeed, here an implied comparison between their
former state and that which they could yet hardly hope for, after their return from
exile; for there is nothing better than brotherly concord, as it is said in the Psalms,
“How good and how pleasant it is for brethren
to dwell together in unity.” (Psalms 133:1)
For the kingdom and the priesthood, the pledges, as it were, of the people’s safety,
could not stand together, without the union of the Israelites with the Jews. But they
had been long alienated from one another, so that the chief favor of God had been
extinguished by this separation. The Prophet says now, that they would come
29

together.
And he adds, Going and weeping they shall come This may seem contrary to what is
said in the Psalms,
“Going they shall go, and weep as those who sow; but coming they shall come with
joy, carrying their handfuls.” (Psalms 126:6)
The Prophet says here, that they shall come with tears. How can these two things be
consistent? even because weeping may be taken for that which flows from joy or
from admiration; for we know that tears gush out not only through sorrow, but also
through rejoicing; and further, when anything unexpected happens, tears will flow
from our eyes. We can then take the Prophet’s words in this sense, that they would
come weeping, because they would then find God merciful to them. But it is better to
regard sorrow as simply meant; and the two things may be thus reconciled, — that
the Jews would come with joy, and also with sorrow, not only because the memory
of their exile could not be immediately obliterated from their minds, but because it
behooved them to remember their sins: they saw the Temple overthrown, the land
wasted — sights sufficient to draw tears a hundred times from the hardest. On one
side there were reasons for joy; and on the other, reasons for tears. We know that
there were tears shed; for the Prophet Haggai expressly tells us, that the old men,
who had seen the former Temple, were much cast down, because there was then no
such glory as they had seen. (Haggai 2:0.)
However this may have been, the Prophet means, that though the return would not
be without many troubles, yet the Jews would come;coming, he says, they shall
come, that is, going they shall go, and weep, as it is said in the Psalms, that they
would come through desert and dry places. (Psalms 84:6.) The meaning then is, that
though the journey would be hard and laborious, yet the Jews would return with
alacrity into their own country, so that no labors would so fatigue them as to make
them to desist from their course.
He subjoins the main thing, that they would come to seek their God Their change of
place would have been useless, had they not come animated with the desire of
worshipping God; for the worship had ceased during the time of exile, as it is said
again in another Psalm,
“How shall we sing songs to our God in a foreign land?” (Psalms 137:4)
Then the Prophet here reminds them, that God’s favor would be real and complete,
because the Jews would not only return to their own country, so as to possess it, but
that they would also set up the worship of God, and dwell as it were under his
protection. It follows —
COKE, “Jeremiah 50:4. In those days, and in that time— The return of the ten
tribes with that of Judah and Benjamin could not have been marked out more
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expressly. "They shall return to their country amid tears of joy, of tenderness and
compunction." See Calmet. But from the next verse we may conclude, that a future
and more general restoration of the Jews is also and particularly referred to. See
Luke 9:51; Luke 9:53. Jeremiah 42:17; Jeremiah 44:12.
TRAPP, “Jeremiah 50:4 In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the
children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and
weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
Ver. 4. In those days, and at that time.] Destructio Babel salus est populo Dei; so
shall it be at the ruin of Rome.
The children of Israel shall come, and the children of Judah together.] In better
times they could not agree; but when they were both in a weeping condition, misery
bred unity, as it did also between Hooper and Ridley, when they were both in prison
for the truth.
Going and weeping.] Tears of sorrow for their sins, and tears of joy for their
deliverance by Cyrus, but especially by Christ.
They shall go and seek the Lord their God.] Whom they had long been without, and
do now long and linger after.
PETT, “Jeremiah 50:4
“In those days, and in that time,
The word of YHWH,
The children of Israel will come,
They and the children of Judah together,
They will go on their way weeping,
And will seek YHWH their God.
The future of the people of Israel/Judah is directly contrasted with the fate of
Babylon. ‘In those days and at that time’ ( the time when God will do His work of
restoration) Israel and Judah together will come in weeping and repentance, seeking
YHWH their God. This coming together of Israel and Judah is a fulfilment of
Jeremiah 3:18. Note that the weeping and repentance is prior to their looking
towards Jerusalem There will be a new attitude of heart resulting in a new
beginning. We can see a partial fulfilment of this in Ezra 3:13; Ezra 8:21-23. A
greater fulfilment occurred at the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a reminder
to us that however grievously we have sinned we can always turn to God in weeping
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and repentance with the assurance that we will be accepted as long as we intend to
commence a new beginning.
PULPIT, “In those days, etc. The destruction of Babylon is immediately followed by
the deliverance of Israel. But the description of the latter is a remarkable one. We
are by no means to regard it as an idealized picture of the return of the Jews under
Zerubbabel, any more than we can suppose the glowing promises in the second part
of Isaiah to have their sole fulfilment in that disappointing event. No; it is the
characteristic of Messianic prophecy that, with "foreshortened perspective," the
prophets represent as equally near events which are really separated by ages. In the
Book of Isaiah, for instance, preliminary judgments are repeatedly described in
terms which, properly speaking, only apply to the great final judgment. In fact, each
great political revolution is a stage in the Divine drama of judgment, which will
reach its close in the final cataclysm. And so too here (as well as in Isaiah 40-46.) the
promise of mercy to Israel, which began to be fulfilled in the edict of Cyrus, is
represented as if the still future conversion of the people of Israel were actually
accomplished. The description reminds us of Jeremiah 3:18-21. Notice the penitence
of the returning exiles, and the reunion of Israel and Judah (see on Jeremiah 3:18).
Going and weeping; they shall go; rather, they shall go, weeping as they go.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.
BARNES, "Fulfilled only in part when some few of the ten tribes of “Israel” joined
Judah in a “covenant” with God, at the restoration of Judah to its land (Neh_9:38; Neh_
10:29). The full event is yet to come (Jer_31:9; Hos_1:11; Zec_12:10).
weeping — with joy at their restoration beyond all hope; and with sorrow at the
remembrance of their sins and sufferings (Ezr_3:12, Ezr_3:13; Psa_126:5, Psa_126:6).
seek ... Lord — (Hos_3:5).
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CLARKE, "Let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant - All
our former covenants have been broken; let us now make one that shall last for ever. He
shall be the Lord Our God, and We will no more worship idols. This covenant they have
kept to the present day; whatever their present moral and spiritual state may be, they are
no idolaters, in the gross sense of the term.
The description that is here given of the state of this people, their feelings and their
conduct, finely exhibit the state of real penitents, who are fervently seeking the salvation
of their souls.
1. In those days when Jesus Christ is manifested in the flesh; and in that time, when
through him is preached the remission of sins, and the people who hear are
pricked in their conscience.
2. The children of Israel and the children of Judah together. - No distinctions being
then felt or attended to; for all feel themselves sinners, who have come short of the
glory of God. Even national distinctions and religious differences, which bind men
fastest, and hold them longest, are absorbed in the deep and overpowering
concern they feel for their eternal interests.
3. Going and weeping shall they go. - Religious sorrow does not preclude activity and
diligence. While they are weeping for their sins, they are going on in the path of
duty, seeking the Lord while he may be found, and calling upon him while he is
near.
4. They shall ask the way to Zion. - Real penitents are the most inquisitive of all
mortals; but their inquiries are limited to one object, they ask the way to Zion.
What shall we do to be saved? How shall we shun the perdition of ungodly men,
etc.
5. With their faces thitherward. - They have turned from sin, and turned To God.
They have left the paths of the destroyer, and their hearts are towards God, and
the remembrance of his name. Thus they are profiting by that light which has
convinced them of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
6. Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord. - Religion is a social principle, and
begets a social feeling in the soul. No man who feels his own sore, and the plague
of his heart, wishes to venture alone in the way to heaven. He feels he wants
counsel, support, comfort and the company of those who will watch over him in
love. Like David, the true penitent is a companion of all those who fear the Lord.
These heavenly feelings come from one and the same Spirit, and lead to the same
end; hence they say, -
7. Let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant. It is said, that to be
undecided, is to be decided. They who are not determined to go to heaven, will
never reach it. If the heart be not laid under obligation, it will do nothing. “I hope I
am in earnest; I trust I shall be in earnest about the salvation of my soul, it is very
proper I should be so;” and such like, show an irresolute soul. Such persons are
ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Let us therefore bind ourselves. We have trifled too long; been indecisive too long;
have halted too long between two opinions. We know now that Jehovah is God; let us,
therefore, enter into a covenant with him. Let this covenant be a perpetual one: let us not
make it for a day, for any particular time, but for ever; and let it never be broken. Let our
part be kept inviolable: we Are and Will Be thy people; and God’s part will never fail, I
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Am and Will Be your God.
The covenant requires a sacrifice. - Hence ‫ברית‬ berith signifies both. Christ crucified
is the great covenant sacrifice. By him God becomes united to us, and through him we
become united to God.
GILL, "They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward,.... Either
to Jerusalem, near to which Mount Zion was; or to the land of Israel, so called, from a
principal part of it: and this also is not to be understood of their return thither, upon the
taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and the liberty he gave them; for they had no need to inquire
their way thither, nor do we find any where that they did; for though there might be
many among them born in the captivity, who knew not the way; yet there were others
that did, and could direct and go before them, even such who had seen the former
temple, Ezr_3:12; but this suits better with the Jews in the latter day, upon the fall of
mystical Babylon, when they shall be converted and return to their own land, and shall
ask their way thither; being under a strong impulse of mind, and being bent upon it, and
having full resolution to go thither: or else by Zion may be meant the church of God in
Gospel times, as it often is; the way into which the converted Jews will ask, being deter
mined to give up themselves to it, and become members of it; which way is not a
religious education, mere morality, or a bare attendance on worship; but faith in Christ,
and a profession of it, and submission to the ordinance of baptism;
saying, come, and let us join ourselves unto the Lord in a perpetual
covenant that shall not be forgotten; and then may they be said to "join
themselves to the Lord", when, under a divine influence, they shall give up themselves
to Christ, to be saved by him; when they shall lay hold on him, embrace him, and believe
in him; when they shall follow him in his own ways, and cleave unto him with full
purpose of heart; and also when they shall join themselves to his people, to the churches
of Christ, and abide by his truths and ordinances; to all which they shall stir up and
encourage one another; either laying hold on the covenant of grace, which is an
everlasting one, and will never be forgotten by the Lord; he is ever mindful of it, and
keeps it; which is done when men join themselves to the Lord, Isa_56:6; or making an
agreement or covenant with one another, and the churches to which they join
themselves, to walk together in all the ways, ordinances, and commandments of the
Lord; which agreement or covenant ought to be perpetually observed, and never
forgotten. Kimchi owns that this part of the verse belongs to the days of the Messiah.
The Targum is,
"they shall come and be added unto the people of the Lord, and he shall make with them
an everlasting covenant, which shall not cease.''
JAMISON, "thitherward — rather, “hitherward,” Jeremiah’s prophetical
standpoint being at Zion. “Faces hitherward” implies their steadfastness of purpose not
to be turned aside by any difficulties on the way.
perpetual covenant — in contrast to the old covenant “which they brake” (Jer_
31:31, etc.; Jer_32:40). They shall return to their God first, then to their own land.
34

CALVIN, "He explains himself more at large, that they would ask those they met
the way, that their faces would be towards Sion, that they would also exhort one
another to seek God and join themselves to him by a perpetual covenant. The
Prophet includes here all the tribes, and says that the Jews and the Israelites would
not only return into their own country, to partake of the produce of that rich and
fruitful land, but that they would also render to God the worship due to him, and
then that nothing would be so vexatious to them but that they would be able to
overcome all difficulties and all obstacles.
He says first, that they would ask the way — a proof of perseverance; that they
would ask the way to Sion, that is, ask how they were to proceed that they might
come to Sion. By these words, the Prophet, as I have just said, denotes their
constancy and indefatigable resolution, as though he had said, that though they
journeyed through unknown lands, yea, through many devious places, they would
yet be in no way disheartened so as not to inquire of those they met with until they
came to Sion. This is one thing. Then he adds to the same purpose, Thither their
faces We indeed know, that plans are often changed when adverse events impede us;
for he who undertakes an expedition, when he sees his course very difficult, turns
back again. But the Prophet declares here that there would be no change of mind
that would cause the Jews to relinquish their purpose of returning, because their
faces would be towards Sion, that is, they would turn their eyes thither, so that
nothing would be able to turn them elsewhere. There is added, in the third place, an
exhortation, Come ye; and they shall join themselves to Jehovah their God, by a
perpetual covenant Here the Prophet first shews, that the Jews would be so
encouraged as to add stimulants to one another; and hence it is said, Come ye; and,
secondly, he adds, they shall cleave (there is here a change of person) to Jehovah by
a perpetual covenant which shall not by oblivion be obliterated (51)
He again repeats what he had said, that the exiles would not return to their own
country, that they might there only indulge themselves, but he mentions another
end, even that they might join themselves to God. He means, in short, that God
would do for them something better and more excellent than to allure them by
earthly pleasures.
But we must notice the words, they shall cleave (so it is literally) to Jehovah by a
perpetual covenant; for there is an implied contrast between the covenant they had
made void and the new covenant which God would make with them, of which
Jeremiah spoke in Jeremiah 31:0. God’s covenant was, indeed, ever inviolable; for
God did not promise to be the God of Abraham for a certain term of years; but the
adoption, as Paul testifies, remains fixed, and can never be changed. (Romans
11:29.) Then on God’s part it is eternal. But as the Jews had become covenant-
breakers, that covenant is called, on this account, weak and evanescent: and for this
reason the Prophet said,
“In the last days I will make a covenant with you, not such as I made with your
fathers, for they have broken, he said, that covenant.” (Jeremiah 31:31)
35

Jeremiah now repeats the same thing, though more briefly, that the Jews would
return to favor with God, not only for a moment, but that his covenant might
continue and remain valid; and the way by which this would be done is expressed in
Jeremiah 21:0, even because God would inscribe his law on their inward parts, and
engrave it on their hearts. For it is not in man’s power to continue so constant as
that God’s covenant should never fail; but what the Prophet omits here must be
supplied from the former passage, that when the Jews returned, God’s covenant
would again become so valid and fixed, that it would never fail, even because their
hearts would be renewed, so that they would be faithful to God, and never become
apostates any more like their fathers.
He then adds, This covenant shall not be forgotten. We hence conclude, that the
perpetuity of which he speaks, was founded rather on the mere benevolence of God
than on the virtue of the people. He calls then the covenant which God would never
forget, perpetual, because he would remember his mercy towards the chosen people;
and though they were unworthy to receive such a favor, yet he would continue
perpetually his mercy towards them to the coming of Christ; for the passage clearly
shows that this prophecy cannot be otherwise explained than of Christ’s spiritual
kingdom. The Jews indeed returned to their own country, but it was only a small
number; and besides, they were harassed by many troubles; God also visited their
land with sterility, and they were lessened by various slaughters in wars: how then
came the prophets thus to extol in such high terms the favor of God, which yet did
not appear among the people? even because they included the kingdom of Christ;
for whenever they spoke of the return of the people, they ascended, as we have said,
to the chief deliverance. I do not yet follow our interpreters, who explain these
prophecies concerning the spiritual kingdom of Christ allegorically; for simply, or
as they say, literally, ought these words to be taken, — that God would never forget
his covenant, so as to retain the Jews in the possession of the land. But this would
have been a very small thing, had not Christ come forth, in whom is founded the
real perpetuity of the covenant, because God’s covenant cannot be separated from a
state of happiness; for blessed are the people, as the Psalmist says, to whom God
shows himself to be their God. (Psalms 144:15.) Now, then, as the Jews were so
miserable, it follows that God’s covenant did not openly appear or was not
conspicuous; we must therefore come necessarily to Christ, as we have elsewhere
seen, that this was commonly done by the Prophets. The Prophet now enters on a
new argument, —
To Zion will they ask the way, Hither their faces; They shall come and be joined to
Jehovah, By an everlasting covenant, which shall not be forgotten.
“Hither” and not “thither,” for the Prophet was at Jerusalem; and so the particle
means, and it is so given in the Sept. and Vulg. The last clause requires “which” in
our translation, though not in Welsh, for, like the Hebrew, it can do without it —
(lang. cy) nad anghofir literally the Hebrew. What is here predicted was literally
accomplished, as recorded by Nehemiah, (Nehemiah 9:38; Nehemiah 10:29.) — Ed.
36

Jeremiah 50 commentary

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Jeremiah 50 commentary