The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. After the predictions of judgment to be inflicted on other nations by Babylon, follows this one against Babylon itself, the longest prophecy, consisting of 100 verses. The date of its utter... [ Continue Reading ]
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. DECLARE YE AMONG THE NATIONS - who would rejoice at the fall of Babylon t... [ Continue Reading ]
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. OUT OF THE NORTH THERE COMETH UP A NATION AGAINST HER - namely, the Medes, north of Babylon (). The devastation o... [ Continue Reading ]
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. IN THOSE DAYS ... THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL SHALL COME, THEY AND THE CHILDREN OF JUDAH TOGETHER, GOING AND WEEPI... [ Continue Reading ]
They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. THEY SHALL ASK THE WAY TO ZION, WITH THEIR FACES THEREWARD - rather, hitherward, Jeremiah's prophetic standpoint being at Zion. 'T... [ Continue Reading ]
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. MY PEOPLE HATH BEEN LOST SHEEP - (, "All we like sheep have gone astray"). THEY HAVE TURNED... [ Continue Reading ]
All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers. ALL THAT HAVE FOUND THEM HAVE DEVOURED THEM - (, "They (the pagan) have devoured Jacob, and laid wast... [ Continue Reading ]
Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. REMOVE OUT OF THE MIDST OF BABYLON - (; ; ; Zechariah 2:6; ) Immediately avail yourselves of the opportunity of escape. BE AS THE HE-GOATS BEFORE THE FLOCKS. Let each tr... [ Continue Reading ]
For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain. FROM THENCE SHE SHALL BE... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND CHALDEA SHALL BE A SPOIL: ALL THAT SPOIL HER SHALL BE SATISFIED, SAITH THE LORD._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls; BECAUSE YE WERE GLAD ... YE REJOICED, O YE DESTROYERS OF MINE HERITAGE - (Isaiah 47:6, "I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance,... [ Continue Reading ]
Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert. YOUR MOTHER - Babylon, the metropolis of the empire. THE HINDERMOST OF THE NATIONS SHALL BE A WILDERNESS. Marvellous change, that Bab... [ Continue Reading ]
Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues. IT SHALL NOT BE INHABITED, BUT IT SHALL BE WHOLLY DESOLATE - (, "It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt i... [ Continue Reading ]
Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD. PUT YOURSELVES IN ARRAY AGAINST BABYLON. Summons to the Median army to attack Babylon. FOR SHE HATH SINNED AGAINST THE LORD - by oppressing His pe... [ Continue Reading ]
Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her. SHOUT AGAINST HER ROUND ABOUT - inspirit one another to the onset with the battle-cry. SHE... [ Continue Reading ]
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land. CUT OFF THE SOWER FROM BABYLON. Babylon had the extent rather of a nation than of a ci... [ Continue Reading ]
Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones. ISRAEL IS A SCATTERED SHEEP ... LIONS HAVE DRIVEN HIM AWAY - "lions" - i:e., hostile kings (; ). FIRST THE KING OF ASSYRI... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria. I WILL PUNISH THE KING OF BABYLON - Nabonidus or Labynitus. AS I HAVE PUNISHED THE KING OF ASSYRIA - Sennacherib and other kings (Grotius).... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead. I WILL BRING ISRAEL AGAIN TO HIS HABITATION, AND HE SHALL FEED ON CARMEL - (; Ezekiel 34:13, "I will bring them out from the people ... and will... [ Continue Reading ]
In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, 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 them whom I reserve. IN THOSE DAYS, AND IN THAT TIME, SAITH THE LORD, THE INIQUITY OF ISRAEL SHALL BE SOUGHT... [ Continue Reading ]
Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee. THE LAND OF MERATHAIM - a symbolical name for Babylon, the doubly rebellious, namely, against God.... [ Continue Reading ]
_A SOUND OF BATTLE IS IN THE LAND, AND OF GREAT DESTRUCTION._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations! THE HAMMER OF THE WHOLE EARTH - i:e., Babylon, so called because of its ponderous destructive power; just as 'Martel,' i:e., a little hammer, was the surname of a king of the Franks ()... [ Continue Reading ]
I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD. I HAVE LAID A SNARE FOR THEE. Thou hast to do with God, not merely with men. THOU ART ALSO TAKEN, O BABYLON, AND THOU WAST NOT... [ Continue Reading ]
The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans. THE LORD ... HATH BROUGHT FORTH THE WEAPONS OF HIS INDIGNATION - the Medes and Persians ().... [ Continue Reading ]
Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left. COME AGAINST HER FROM THE UTMOST BORDER - namely, of the earth; or from all sides (Ludovicus de Dieu). OPEN HER STOREHOUSES - or, 'her houses filled with me... [ Continue Reading ]
Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation. SLAY ALL HER BULLOCKS - i:e., princes and strong warriors (; ; ). GO DOWN TO THE SLAUGHTER. The slaughter-houses lay low beside the river; therefore it is said, "go dow... [ Continue Reading ]
The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple. THE VOICE OF THEM THAT FLEE AND ESCAPE OUT OF BABYLON, TO DECLARE IN ZION THE VENGEANCE OF THE LORD ... THE VENGEANCE OF HIS TEMPLE. Some Jews 'fl... [ Continue Reading ]
Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel. CALL TOGETH... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD. THEREFORE SHALL HER YOUNG MEN FALL IN THE STREETS - (note, ). IN THE STREETS - the Babylonians were so discouraged by having lost some battles, that they retired within their... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee. O THOU MOST PROUD - literally, pride - i:e., man of pride; the King of Babylon. THE TIME THAT I WILL VISIT THEE - punish (, "the time of their visitation").... [ Continue Reading ]
_AND THE MOST PROUD SHALL STUMBLE AND FALL, AND NONE SHALL RAISE HIM UP: AND I WILL KINDLE A FIRE IN HIS CITIES, AND IT SHALL DEVOUR ALL ROUND ABOUT HIM._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. ISRAEL AND... [ Continue Reading ]
Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. THEIR REDEEMER IS STRONG - as opposed to the power of Israel's oppressor (Revelation 18:8). HE SHALL THROUGHLY PLEAD THEIR C... [ Continue Reading ]
A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men. A SWORD ... A SWORD ... A SWORD. The repetition of "A sword" in the beginning of each verse, by the figure anaphora, heightens the effect; the reiterated judgment is u... [ Continue Reading ]
_A DROUGHT IS UPON HER WATERS; AND THEY SHALL BE DRIED UP: FOR IT IS THE LAND OF GRAVEN IMAGES, AND THEY ARE MAD UPON THEIR IDOLS._ No JFB commentary on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. WILD BEASTS OF THE DESERT - wild cats, remarkable for their how... [ Continue Reading ]
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein. AS GOD OVERTHREW SODOM AND GOMORRAH - (). Repeated from .... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. BEHOLD, A PEOPLE SHALL COME FORTH FROM THE NORTH ... THEY SHALL HOLD THE BOW ... THE KING OF BABYLON HATH HEARD THE REPORT ... - (Compare Jeremiah 6:22, where the same... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand b... [ Continue Reading ]