Jeremiah 50:11-13

The Reason Why Babylon Is To Be Destroyed (Jeremiah 50:11).

We now learn the reason why Babylon is to be destroyed. It is because of YHWH's wrath at (His sense of aversion to) her sins. In the first place she was exulting in having brought God's people into subjection, exacting from them heavy tribute, thus ‘plundering God's heritage', and treading them down with wild abandon like a heifer wantonly treads the grain, whilst at the same time she was making wild neighs as an indication of her supremacy. And secondly she is therefore to receive in accordance with how she has behaved towards others (Jeremiah 50:15). What she has sown she will reap.

Today in various parts of the world God's people are effectively trodden down because they are not ‘of Babylon'. Here they are assured that in the end God will bring all things into judgment, and will reward His people.

Jeremiah 50:11

“Because you are glad, because you rejoice,

O you who plunder my heritage,

Because you are wanton as a heifer which treads out the grain,

And neigh as strong horses,

Your mother will be utterly put to shame,

She who bore you will be confounded,

Behold, she will be the hindermost of the nations,

A wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.

Because of the wrath of YHWH she will not be inhabited,

But she will be wholly desolate,

Every one who goes by Babylon will be astonished,

And hiss at all her plagues.”

The Babylonians are pictured as exulting in their conquests and the spoils that they thereby achieve, and as overlooking the fact that they are trespassing on God's heritage. The idea of Israel/Judah as God's inheritance, and its land as being God's own heritage given to His people is prominent in Scripture (e.g. Genesis 15:7; Genesis 28:4; Exodus 15:17; Exodus 34:9; Deuteronomy 4:20; Deuteronomy 9:29; Deuteronomy 12:9; Deuteronomy 25:19; Deuteronomy 32:9; etc). Thus the Babylonians have insulted God and have counted Him as of nothing worth. Furthermore they have done it wantonly and regardlessly, like a heifer treads the grain, and with an overshow of boasting like loud neighing ‘strong horses'. Therefore their mother (Babylon/Babylonia) will be put to shame and totally confounded. She will become the least of the nations, becoming a wilderness, an arid land, and a desert. And this will be because of the wrath of YHWH, His antipathy against their sins. Indeed she will be so desolate that those who pass by what was once a great city will be astonished, and will draw in their breath at what has happened. This was eventually literally fulfilled. Travellers could even pass by the mound that was Babylon and not even be aware that it had once been a great city.