Nebuchadnezzar had to decide which nation to attack first, and God directed him to Judah instead of to Ammon (cf. Ezk 21:18-23). Judah and Ammon were still allies when Jerusalem fell, and Zedekiah was probably heading for Ammon when he was captured (Jr 39:4-5). Despite the alliance of Judah and Ammon, they were not friends but allied because of strategy. Ammon rejoiced over Jerusalem’s fall because she knew that if Nebuchadnezzar committed his army against Jerusalem he would not be able to attack Ammon (cf. 49:1-6; Ezk 25:1-7).
Thus Gedaliah’s commitment to Babylon was unsettling to Ammon. If Judah did submit to Babylon, then after Nebuchadnezzar finished his siege of Tyre (cf. Ezk 29:17-18) he would probably attack Ammon. But a destabilized Judah could force Nebuchadnezzar to commit large numbers of troops there to maintain order, which would improve Ammon’s chances for survival. So it was to Ammon’s advantage to replace pro-Babylonian Gedaliah with an anti-Babylonian leader like Ishmael.
Unfortunately Gedaliah … did not believe these officers. Johanan … spoke secretly with Gedaliah and offered to kill Ishmael to protect the governor for the good of Judah. Gedaliah ordered Johanan not to do this thing; Gedaliah thought the whole report was a lie about Ishmael. Gedaliah was an honorable man who made a fatal mistake when he misjudged Ishmael’s character.
41:1-3. Ishmael … came to Gedaliah with ten men for a supposedly peaceful meeting, eating bread together. Then Ishmael and his cohorts struck down Gedaliah and also killed all the Jews who were with him, as well as the Chaldeans … who … were men of war there (cf. 2Kg 25:25). The killings occurred in the seventh month (late September/early October). Though the month was given, the year was not, so the exact dating of the assassination is uncertain. It would be difficult for all of these events to have occurred in 586 BC because the army of Babylon was still in Jerusalem as late as August 17th of that year (Jr 52:12). This would have allowed the Babylonians less than two months to deport the people, establish a government, allot the land, and withdraw the main body of their forces. So the assassination must have happened in a later year. Jeremiah records a little-known deportation in 583–582 BC (cf. 52:30), without giving the details of the event. Perhaps this Babylonian deportation was to restore order after the assassination of the governor and the Jewish migration to Egypt. If these events are related, then the seventh month when Gedaliah was assassinated began on October 4, 583 BC.
41:4-9. The assassinations probably took place in the evening. The plot had gone so well that the next day no one knew about it. The next day eighty men, a large caravan, were going to Jerusalem in mourning (with beards shaved … clothes torn, cf. 16:6), from Shechem, Shiloh, and Samaria, three cities of the northern kingdom of Israel. Since these upright men were from the largely apostate northern kingdom, at least some of King Josiah’s reforms (cf. 2Kg 23:15-20; 2Ch 34:33) had a lasting impact. They were carrying grain offerings and incense to the house of the LORD. Though the temple had been destroyed (cf. Jr 52:13, 17-23), people still worshiped at its site. These worshipers were traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate one of the three feasts held during the seventh month (Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, Booths; cf. Lv 23:23-44), yet were in mourning because of the destruction of the temple.
Ishmael … went out … to meet the pilgrims, weeping as he went. After feigning sympathy he invited them to come to Gedaliah. Certainly an offer to meet with the governor could not be refused, so they went together to Mizpah. Once inside the city, Ishmael and his band of cutthroats slaughtered them, and threw their bodies into the cistern. Though not specifically stated, the passage implies (Jr 41:8) that he intended to plunder his victims and seize their provisions. Certainly a caravan of 80 travelers would carry a large amount of food and money, plus the offerings for the temple. Ten of the 80 managed to bargain for their lives by announcing that additional supplies of wheat and barley, oil and honey were hidden in the field. If he would spare them, they would show him the location of this cache. Ishmael’s greed prompted him not to kill them.
Jeremiah explained the historical significance of the site where the slaughter occurred (v. 9): The cistern in which the bodies of the men and Gedaliah were cast had been constructed nearly 200 years earlier by King Asa. It served as part of the defense of Judah by King Asa’s men against King Baasha of the northern kingdom, in the war between Judah and Israel (cf. 1Kg 15:16-22). The cistern that had once helped preserve life was now filled … with the slain.
41:10-15. Ishmael had killed only a specific group living in Mizpah (v. 2), but he took captive all the rest, the remnant, who lived there. These included the king’s daughters and all the people who were left in Mizpah who been put under the charge of Gedaliah. Jeremiah was probably among the captives (cf. 40:6). The group set out from Mizpah to go to Ammon, Ishmael’s ally (40:14).
When Johanan the son of Kareah and the military commanders and troops heard about all the evil that Ishmael … had done, they set off to fight Ishmael. The troops caught up with the slower group of captives near the great pool … in Gibeon (2Sm 2:12-16). Those taken captive were glad when they spotted their rescuers, and escaped from Ishmael. However, Ishmael and eight men fled to Ammon.
(3) The Leadership of Johanan (41:16–42:22)
41:16-18. Johanan and the commanders took all the remnant they had rescued from Ishmael. This group included soldiers, women, children, and eunuchs. But instead of returning to Mizpah they went on. Their first place of rest was at Geruth Chimham near Bethlehem, 13 miles from Gibeon. The group was on its way to Egypt to escape the Babylonians because they were afraid that Babylon would retaliate for the death of Gedaliah.
42:1-6. Before going on, all the commanders, including both Johanan and Jezaniah (called “Azariah” in 43:2), and all the people decided to seek the Lord’s guidance. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them to the LORD. They wanted God to tell them where they should go and what they should do. They had already decided to flee Israel, and they seemed to want God’s approval for their plan to escape to Egypt (v. 14; 43:7).
When speaking to Jeremiah they referred to the Lord as your God (vv. 2-3), as if they thought of the Lord as more of Jeremiah’s God than their own. Jeremiah agreed to pray for them, but corrected their thinking by referring to the LORD as your God, indicating that He was their God as well. He said he would pray and tell them the whole answer, while they vowed to act in accordance with whatever God commanded, whether it is pleasant or unpleasant. After watching God destroy their nation because of disobedience they were careful to agree that they would obey the Lord.
42:7-12. Jeremiah prayed for the people, and then ten days later God answered. Jeremiah told them, if they would stay in this land, God promised to build them up and plant them. They should not be afraid of the Babylonians because the Lord was with them to save and deliver them. God would cause Nebuchadnezzar to have compassion (raham, “show tender concern”) on them, a characteristic not associated with the Babylonians (cf. 6:23; 21:7). If the people submitted to the Babylonians, God promised that Nebuchadnezzar would restore them to their land.
42:13-18. Similar to the blessings and curses of Dt 28, Jeremiah followed his list of blessings for obedience with a list of judgments for disobedience. But if the people refused to stay in this land and did not listen to the voice of the LORD by going to Egypt … then they would experience God’s judgment for violating their oath (Jr 42:5-6).
Their desire to move to Egypt was understandable, considering their expectation that they would no longer see war or hear the trumpet announcing an impending attack (cf. 4:5, 19-21; 6:1). Also, in Egypt they would escape the famine (cf. Lm 1:11; 5:6, 9) of the siege of Jerusalem and would no longer hunger for bread.
Despite this logic, Jeremiah warned that if they disobeyed the Lord and settled in Egypt, they would die by the sword, famine, or pestilence (cf. Jr 14:12; 42:22). God’s wrath would be poured out on them when they entered Egypt, just as it was poured out on … Jerusalem. Like Jerusalem, they would become a curse, an object of horror, and a reproach (cf. 18:16; 24:9; 29:18; 44:12). The very dangers they wanted to avoid would overtake them, and they would never see Judah again.
42:19-22. Jeremiah repeated God’s word to the remnant of Judah, The LORD has spoken to you … do not to go into Egypt! God’s will was clear. For though they had vowed to do everything God said (v. 6), when His word finally came, they refused to obey and stay in Judah as He commanded. Thus, Jeremiah warned them, the only thing they could be certain was that they would die by the sword, famine, and pestilence (v. 17) if they went to Egypt to reside. Jeremiah was forced by the disobedient remnant to go down to Egypt with them (43:6), and the tradition is that Jeremiah died in Egypt.
b. Jeremiah’s Ministry to the Remnant in Egypt (43:1–44:30)
(1) The Remnant’s Flight to Egypt (43:1-7)
43:1-3. The true character of the remnant surfaced in their response to the Lord’s message. In spite of Jeremiah’s previous vindication as God’s prophet, they refused to believe him.
Immediately after Jeremiah finished speaking, both Azariah (called “Jezaniah” in 42:1) and Johanan, along with all the arrogant men, accused Jeremiah of telling a lie. They accused Baruch, Jeremiah’s secretary, confidant, and companion, of inciting Jeremiah to join a conspiracy to hand these former rebels over into the hand of the Chaldeans, who would then kill them or exile [them] to Babylon.
43:4-7. But the group did not return to Mizpah, they marched south toward Egypt (41:17). There was total disobedience: Johanan and all the commanders and all the people, did not obey the voice of the LORD to stay in the land of Judah. As leader, Johanan … took the entire remnant of Judah … together with Jeremiah … and Baruch … and they entered the land of Egypt. They settled in Tahpanhes, a fortress city on the eastern delta border of Lower (northern) Egypt.
(2) The Prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar’s Invasion of Egypt (43:8-13)
43:8-13. As some of the Jewish travelers watched, Jeremiah performed another symbolic act to teach them a lesson from the Lord (cf. 13:1-11). The Lord told him to take some large stones and bury them in mortar under the brick terrace (the pavement) that covered the large courtyard at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace in Tahpanhes. Since Pharaoh’s main residence at this time was at Elephantine in southern Egypt, the “palace” mentioned by Jeremiah was probably a government building that served as Pharaoh’s residence when he visited the city of Tahpanhes. Excavations at Tahpanhes have uncovered a wide pavement at the northern entrance to the fortress.
Jeremiah’s buried stones were to mark the spot where Nebuchadnezzar would set his throne when the Lord brought him to strike the land of Egypt. The specters of death … captivity, and the sword, which these exiles were fleeing (cf. 42:13-17), would follow them into Egypt. God would use Nebuchadnezzar to set fire to the temples of the gods of Egypt and take the gods captive. Nebuchadnezzar would wrap himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd wraps himself with his garment. Nebuchadnezzar would shatter the obelisks of Heliopolis, a center for Egyptian sun god worship with many obelisks and temples, all to be demolished by the Babylonians.
Because the Babylonian Chronicles (cf. 27:1-7) that have been discovered go only through 594 BC, there is a lack of extrabiblical detail on the invasion of Egypt. However, one fragmentary text has been found that implies an invasion of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar in 568–567 BC. This would harmonize well with the prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Egypt in Ezk 29:19. That prophecy, given on April 26, 571 BC, indicated that the invasion was still future. Therefore Nebuchadnezzar’s attack on Egypt probably occurred sometime between 571 and 567 BC.
(3) The Warning of God’s Judgment (44:1-30)
44:1-10. God’s word came to Jeremiah a second time while he was in Egypt (cf. 43:8). This time it concerned all the Jews who were living in … Egypt. It applied to those in northern Egypt, which included the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis; and it extended south to Pathros, in southern Egypt. The message was for all the Jews throughout Egypt.
God reminded them of the disaster He brought against Jerusalem and all cities of Judah. Their ruins stood as testimonies to God’s judgment on their wickedness, especially in provoking the Lord to anger by continuing to burn sacrifices to other gods.
Though God had repeatedly warned the people through His servants the prophets to turn from their wickedness, they did not listen. God’s wrath then raged against Judah and Jerusalem, so they were a ruin and a desolation. Instead of learning from the recent events of Jerusalem’s judgment for idolatry, these Jews who had escaped to Egypt were burning sacrifices to other gods in the land of Egypt. They were in danger of becoming an object of curse and reproach (cf. 24:9) for their idolatry. It was as though they had forgotten the wickedness (repeated no less than five times in v. 9) that both they and their ancestors had committed and the resulting judgment of God. They had not become contrite before God nor feared Him, nor walked in His law, which was clearly set before them and their ancestors. How quickly they had forgotten God’s Word!
44:11-14. God would set His face against them to bring disaster on the remnant in Egypt for their sin, just as He had on all Judah. This remnant that had set their mind on entering Egypt would perish there by sword and famine (cf. 42:22). This judgment would include nearly everyone, small and great. Those living in Egypt would experience the same judgments God used when He punished Jerusalem—the sword, famine, and pestilence. Though these fugitives hoped to return home someday, they would not. All those who had fled to Egypt in violation of God’s command would die there, except for a few refugees whom God would allow to return.
44:15-19. The people totally rejected Jeremiah’s message. Whole families, men and their wives, were burning sacrifices to other gods. They said, We are not going to listen, and refused to repent. Instead of obeying every word that came from the mouth of the Lord (cf. Dt 8:3), they said they would carry out every word that has proceeded from their own mouths. They would continue burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven (see comments about this idolatrous worship at Jr 7:18). The widespread nature of that pagan practice of offering incense sacrifices to this goddess is evident because it was done by the people, their ancestors (forefathers), their kings, and their princes in Judah and Jerusalem.
In an ironic reversal of truth, the people blamed their difficulties on their failure to continue these pagan rituals. They said that as long as they sacrificed to the queen of heaven (see comments on 7:18), they had plenty of food and no misfortune. They said that when they stopped burning sacrifices to the queen of heaven, they lacked everything and began perishing by sword and famine. They were lying to themselves, for just the opposite would have been true had they followed God’s directions (cf. chap. 14; Hs 2:5-9; Am 4:4-12). Faithfulness and obedience to God brought blessing, while unfaithfulness and disobedience to God brought cursing (Lv 26:1-45; Dt 28).
44:20-23. Jeremiah responded to all the people, especially to the ones who were giving him such an answer. He reminded them the LORD did remember their smoking sacrifices. When He was no longer able to endure their sin, He judged the people, and the land became an object of cursing and a desolate waste. Because of their evil sacrifices Judah was under judgment—the worship of false gods had assured her doom and had not protected her in any way. This failure to acknowledge and follow the Lord had produced calamity in Judah. That same judgment would fall on them in Egypt for their sacrifices to the queen of heaven.
44:24-28. Jeremiah spoke to all the people, including all the women concerning their vow to continue worshiping the queen of heaven with incense sacrifices and drink offerings (v. 17). Since they were so determined to pursue their idolatry, God sarcastically told them to go ahead with the vows they had made to this false goddess. But as they worshiped her they were also to hear God’s message of judgment. The Lord took a solemn oath, swearing by His great name that none of the Judahites living anywhere in Egypt would ever again invoke His name or swear by Him in an oath. His judgment would pursue them until all were destroyed. God was watching over them for harm and not for good. Only a very few would survive to return to Judah. Then they would know whose word will stand, Mine or theirs, a direct rebuke at their vow to the queen of heaven and their claim that idolatry brought prosperity (vv. 17-18).
44:29-30. God then gave a sign to show that His words would surely stand against the idolatrous Jews in Egypt. The sign was that Pharaoh Hophra would be handed over to his enemies … just as … Zedekiah was handed over to Nebuchadnezzar. According to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus (fifth century BC), Hophra was killed by his rivals in 570 BC (Herodotus 2. 161-3, 169), only a short time after Jeremiah gave this prophecy. Despite all God had done to vindicate His messages from Jeremiah, the people still refused to believe. The issue was not one of needing more evidence, divine miracles, or compelling messages, but a question of faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Heb 11:6; cf. Gn 15:6).
c. Jeremiah’s Ministry to Baruch (45:1-5)
45:1-3. This chapter fits chronologically between 36:8 and 36:9, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605–604 BC) after Baruch had written down at Jeremiah’s dictation God’s message on a scroll (cf. 36:1-8). Jeremiah likely placed this out of chronological order for the benefit of exilic readers. Having seen the judgment of the exile, the prophet wanted to emphasize the response that God desired from the godly remnant in difficult times. It uses Baruch’s discouragement and the exhortation to faith to be a model for all of the godly remnant who were disheartened. Baruch was discouraged by the message of judgment, saying, Ah, woe is me! He felt that God had added sorrow to his pain. Much as Jeremiah felt earlier (cf. 8:21–9:2; 14:17-18; 15:10, 15-18), Baruch was worn out with groaning and could find no rest.
45:4-5. God responded with a message to encourage Baruch’s faith in the midst of judgment. The Lord would indeed bring disaster and uproot what He had planted (cf. 1:10). Baruch’s discouragement came because the realities of judgment clashed with his personal aspirations of seeking great things. The Lord reminded him that instead of groaning because God did not provide all he wanted, Baruch should have been thankful that God would give him his life, despite the disaster happening all around. His contemporary Habakkuk should have been his model of faith in the midst of judgment (cf. Hab 3:16-19).
In the midst of disaster or national judgment, a godly person should have his hope fixed firmly on the Lord. We too can choose to be bitter because God has withheld what we expected, or we can choose to be thankful because God has supplied what we need, and protected us beyond our own limited vision.
III. Prophecies Concerning Nations (46:1–51:64)
Jeremiah had been commissioned as a prophet to the nations who would come against Judah and Jerusalem (cf. 1:5; 46:1). Before addressing those nations, he first prophesied concerning the nation of Judah (chaps. 2–45), showing what the nations would do to her because, despite being God’s covenant people, Judah had sinned against the Lord God of Israel. The nations, who rose up against Judah and were rife with their own sin and idolatry, did not escape the Lord’s judgment in Jeremiah’s prophetic voice. Jeremiah had already declared God’s sovereignty over the nations (27:1-5), so in chaps. 46–51 he described, in poetic form, the coming judgment on the nations, including Egypt (chap. 46) and Babylon (chaps. 50–51).
A. Prophecy against Egypt (46:1-28)
Egypt was the first nation selected for judgment. She was Judah’s ineffective ally who had encouraged Judah’s revolt against Babylon. However, when Judah needed Egypt’s military support for defense against Babylon, Egypt abandoned Judah (cf. 37:4-10; Ezk 29:6-7).
1. Egypt to Be Defeated at Carchemish (46:1-12)
46:1-6. Jeremiah’s message was directed against the army of Pharaoh Neco, who killed King Josiah of Judah in 609 BC (2Kg 23:29). Jeremiah penned his prophecy after Egypt’s army was defeated at Carchemish (in what is now southern central Turkey). This was the only major city on the upper Euphrates and was the key to Syria on the East and the passageway to the Euphrates. After the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Carchemish was the strategic battleground between Egypt and Babylon for control of the area. When Babylon defeated Egypt at Carchemish, it signaled the end of Egyptian military supremacy in the region. The victorious battle took place in 605 BC, the fourth year of Jehoiakim.
God gave a sarcastic message to the army of Egypt. They were to prepare their shield[s] and march out for battle against the Babylonians, to harness the horses and have the troops stand with helmets on ready to fight. Their spears and scale-armor were to be ready for battle. Although Egypt was famous for the finest horses, Babylon’s swift attack left terror … on every side as their warriors were defeated, fleeing in panic and confusion. The retreating Egyptian soldiers obstructed their own retreat, so the swift were not able to flee nor were the mighty able to escape. Babylon overtook the Egyptians and destroyed them. The Babylonian Chronicles (see comments on 43:8-13) confirm this picture of hopeless confusion and defeat. The Egyptian army “withdrew” before the Babylonians, but the Babylonians “overtook and defeated them so that not a single man escaped to his own country” (Donald J. Wiseman, Chronicle of Chaldean Kings [626-556 BC] in the British Museum [London: Trustees of the British Museum, 1956], 67-69). The Babylonian defeat of Egypt at Carchemish was one of the most decisive battles in the ancient world, and it ended mighty Egypt’s position as a world power.
46:7-8. God sarcastically asked who this nation was that was trying to rise like the Nile with its surging waters that overflowed its banks and inundated the country with life-giving rich soil. Likewise Egypt planned to rise like the Nile and conquer the world. The surge of Egypt’s armies with her horses and charioteers would resemble the rushing of a mighty river. In prophetic judgment God would rise and cover that land of Egypt, and He would destroy the city and its inhabitants.
46:9-10. Egypt’s army contained mercenary soldiers from Ethiopia and Put (modern-day Libya) who carried shields as infantrymen, and Lydians (inhabitants of the west coast of Asia Minor) who were archers (they bend the bow). Ezekiel named these same groups of mercenaries (Ezk 30:5). Though Egypt amassed a mighty army, the day of battle belonged to the Lord GOD of hosts, as a day of His vengeance on Egypt. It would be a slaughter for the Lord GOD of hosts. Only then would His sword of judgment be satisfied. God compared this slaughter to the offering of a sacrifice (Is 34:4-5; Zph 1:7-8) as He destroyed the Egyptians at Carchemish, in the land of the north by the river Euphrates.
46:11-12. Even if the Egyptians went to Gilead to get balm for their wounds (8:22), their remedies would be in vain because God would permit no healing for them. The surrounding nations would hear of Egypt’s shame as her cry of distress and pain filled the earth. In the panic of war, the mighty warriors would stumble over one another (cf. v. 6) and fall down together in defeat.
2. Egypt to Be Invaded and Exiled (46:13-26)
46:13-17. Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians at Carchemish, the key city in modern Turkey, in 605 BC, but he did not invade Egypt until approximately 571–567 BC (see comments on 43:8-13). In this undated prophecy (vv. 13-26) God supplied additional details of the coming of Nebuchadnezzar to smite the land of Egypt. The warning of Nebuchadnezzar’s approach was to be sounded in Migdol, Memphis, and Tahpanhes in northern Egypt (cf. 44:1). Nebuchadnezzar’s forces were told to take [their] stand and get … ready for battle. Babylon and Egypt would fight in the area where the refugees of Judah had settled against God’s will after Gedaliah’s murder (chap. 43).
Jeremiah asked why Egypt’s mighty ones had become prostrate, or “laid low” (v. 15). There is a textual issue here. The Septuagint reads, “Wherefore has Apis fled… ?” (Septuagint/ LXX 26:15; the LXX has rearranged the order of several chapters in Jeremiah so that 46:15 in Hebrew is 26:15 in the Septuagint; cf. “The Book of Jeremiah and the Septuagint” in Introduction to Jeremiah). The Septuagint has divided the Hebrew verb for “laid low” (nishap) into two words (nas khaf, “Apis has fled,” a reference to Apis, the bull god of Egypt. The defeat of a people was often symbolized by the defeat of their god (cf. Is 46:1-2; Jr 50:2; 51:44). If the Septuagint reading is accepted, then Jeremiah was pointing to the inability of Egypt’s god Apis to protect them from the judgment of the Lord. However, the Masoretic Text of Jr 46:15, Why have your mighty ones become prostrate? (laid low) seems to fit the context of the defeat of Egypt by the Babylonians (46:13) better. The point is the Lord God will be victorious, either over the Egyptian bull god Apis, or over the Egyptian army’s mighty warriors.
The text answers the question about the warriors. They could not stand because God had thrust them down. As the mercenary army stumbled over one another in their effort to flee from Egypt they decided to get up … and go back home to their own people and their native land to escape the sword of the oppressor. Pharaoh Hophra had made bold claims about his ability to defeat the Babylonians, but these vanquished soldiers realized now that Pharaoh king of Egypt was only a big noise who could not deliver victory.
Pharaoh Hophra (44:30) had already let the appointed time pass to defeat Babylon. After being defeated at Carchemish, the Egyptians might have had the opportunity for a comeback victory over Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar did not follow up his triumph by invading Egypt right away; instead he returned to Babylon because of his father’s death. Pharaoh did not press this advantage to defend or fortify Egypt, so when Nebuchadnezzar returned to battle, Egypt was defeated by the Nile.
46:18-19. The eternal God proclaimed the certainty of coming judgment on Egypt. He swore by His own self (As I live; cf. Gn 22:16), announcing His sovereignty (declares the King; cf. Jr 8:19; 10:7, 10; 48:15; 51:57; Pss 10:16; 47:7; Is 43:15) and identifying the scope of His authority (LORD of hosts, used about 80 times in Jeremiah; cf. 2Sm 5:10; Is 14:27; 54:5; Jr 5:14).
God was sending one to Egypt (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) who towered above all others just as Mount Tabor stood out among the mountains. This one would rise as impressively as Mount Carmel does by the sea. The Egyptians were to make [their] baggage ready for exile (cf. Ezk 29:9-16) because Nebuchadnezzar would attack Memphis (cf. Jr 46:14) and leave it a desolation without inhabitants.
46:20-24. Jeremiah described Egypt’s doom with clear word pictures. First, he compared Egypt to a pretty heifer. This metaphor is especially striking since Apis, one of Egypt’s gods, was a bull. However, a horsefly … from the north (Babylon) is coming (repeated twice), to bite her. Second, he compared the mercenaries (vv. 9, 16) in the midst of Egypt’s soldiers to fattened calves who would turn and flee when the day of disaster came. Third, Jeremiah compared Egypt to a fleeing serpent. She could do little more than hiss at her enemy as she slithered away to avoid the axes of these mighty woodcutters who had come to chop down her forest. Fourth, he compared the size of Babylon’s invading army to a swarm of locusts that were too numerous to be counted. The point of the image was the same: Egypt would be put to shame (vv. 12, 24) because God had given her over to the people of the north, to Babylon.
46:25-26. Neither the gods nor the kings of Egypt would be spared from the judgment of God. He would punish Amon of Thebes in southern Egypt (Ezk 30:14-16). Amon (Amun-Ra) was the chief god of Egypt during much of its history. Amon was god of air, wind, fertility, and later the sun, creator of all things. God’s judgment began in the north (Pr 46:14, 19) and would extend to the south. It would encompass all her gods and kings, even Pharaoh and all who trust in him. They would be handed over to Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Ezk 29:17-20).
However, Egypt’s destruction would not be permanent. God promised that afterwards … Egypt would be inhabited as in the days of old. This could refer to the return of Egypt’s exiles from Babylon (cf. v. 19; Ezk 29:10-16). However, the association of Egypt’s fortunes with the still-future restoration of Israel (Jr 46:27-28) and the future focus in some of Jeremiah’s other prophecies to the nations (cf. 48:47; 49:39) suggests that the fulfillment would come during the millennial reign of the Messiah when Egypt would again be in her land and would join Israel in the worship of the God of Israel (see comments on 50:1; Is 19:24-25).
3. Israel to Be Regathered (46:27-28)
46:27-28. In contrast to the judgment on Egypt and her false gods, the Lord interjected a word of comfort for Israel. Although Judah and Jerusalem would be punished for their sin, God wanted them to have hope. Thus, after describing the judgment of Egypt, the Lord comforted His own people: O Jacob My servant, do not fear nor be dismayed. Israel could rejoice because God promised to save her and return her people from captivity. Israel could look forward to a time when she would enjoy peace and security, with no one making [Jacob] tremble. Though she went into exile, God vowed that He would make a full end of all the nations where He had driven Israel; but he would not make a full end of her. The Lord would correct her properly and punish her for her sins, but Jacob would be preserved. A remnant would survive to receive God’s blessings again (cf. 31:1-6).
B. Prophecy against Philistia 47:1-7
47:1. The Philistines were one of Israel’s most ancient and persistent enemies (Jos 13:2-3; Jdg 3:31; 13:1), but the Lord would judge them for their sin.
The Philistines occupied the coastal plain of Judah. Whenever they were strong, they tried to expand from the coast into the hill country of Judah. These attempts at expansion were opposed throughout Israel’s history: during the period of the Judges (Jdg 3:31; 13-16), by Samuel (1Sm 7:2-17), by Saul (1Sm 13:1–14:23; 17–18; 28:1-4; 29:1-2, 11; 31:1-10), and by David (2Sm 5:17-25). David finally subdued the Philistines (2Sm 8:1), and they remained a vassal of Israel through the reign of Solomon. During the time of the divided monarchy the balance of power shifted back and forth. Judah was in control during the reigns of Jehoshaphat (2Ch 17:10-11) and Uzziah, but Philistia regained dominion during the reigns of Jehoram (2Ch 21:16-17) and Ahaz (2Ch 28:16-18).
Jeremiah’s message was delivered before Pharaoh conquered Gaza. The exact date for this event is uncertain but the two most likely times were either 609 BC when Pharaoh Neco marched north through Judah to meet the Babylonians (2Kg 23:29-30), or 601 BC when Neco defeated the armies of Babylon.
47:2-7. The Babylonians were depicted as waters rising from the north to become an overflowing torrent that would sweep away the Philistines. The Philistines would cry out in anguish as the swirl of galloping hoofs and enemy chariots rushed through the land. The people would be so overcome by fear that fathers would not even turn back to help their children. Their allies, Tyre and Sidon, would not be able to help them (cf. Ezk 27–28).
The Philistines (philisti, meaning “to wander, immigrants”) were one of the groups of sea peoples who made their way in ancient times to the coast of Canaan (see the map “The World of Jeremiah and Ezekiel,” in the Introduction). They were the remnant people of the coastland of Caphtor, the ancient name for Crete (Am 9:7; Zph 2:5). When they settled the coastal plain of Judah they formed a coalition of five major cities, the Philistine pentapolis (cf. Jos 13:3; 1Sm 6:4, 18): Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Gath, and Ekron. Gaza was attacked by the Egyptians (cf. Jr 47:1), and Ashkelon was later destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 604 BC (v. 1; cf. comments on 36:9). Archaeological evidence of layers of ash, broken pottery, and human remains reveals the destruction of Ashkelon at that time. As a result of their destruction, the people of Gaza and Ashkelon would shave their heads (thus their baldness) and gash themselves in grief (cf. comments on 16:6). The sword of the LORD would strike in judgment until Ashkelon and the seacoast were destroyed (cf. Ezk 25:15-17; Is 14:28-32).
“Philistia” or “Philistine” is the basis for the Latin term Palestina, from which the English word “Palestine” derives. Since this word is so common on Bible maps and resources, it is puzzling that the word “Palestine” cannot be found in the Bible. After the Romans crushed the Second Jewish Revolt (AD 135), they sent a message to the Mediterranean world (“Never revolt against Rome!”) and made an example of Judah by bringing about many changes, three of them deserving special attention. First, Rome changed the name of Jerusalem to Aelia Capitolina (in honor of the Emperor Hadrian, whose family name was “Aeila”). Second, they banned all Jewish people from the city on pain of death. Finally, Rome changed the name of the country to Syria-Palestina, after the ancient Philistine coastal region. The Roman goal was to wipe the names of Israel and Judah off the face of the earth and from all of history. Syria-Palestina (Palestine) became the official name of the region on maps, documents, and scholarly works handed down from the Romans to the Byzantines, through the Middle Ages, even into the Reformation and Enlightenment eras, and into modern times as well. Although the name “Palestine” is never used in the Bible for the land of Israel or Judea, since the Roman period it has often been used as a synonym for the region. Because the term has once again taken on a political undertone, it might be best to use the more biblically accurate term (cf. 3:18-19; 16:18) to refer to the promised land: the land of Israel.
C. Prophecy against Moab (48:1-47)
Moab is the ancient name of the mountainous country alongside much of the eastern shore of the Dead Sea (now modern Jordan). It was separated from Edom on the south by the Zered River and from Ammon on the north by the Arnon River. Moabites were descendants of Lot (Gn 19:37). Much of the imagery used by Jeremiah for Moab is also used by Isaiah (Is 16:6-12). Moab was a frequent enemy of God’s people, from the time of the conquest (Nm 22–24) throughout the days of the kings (2Ch 20). The judgment of Moab is often pictured in terms of vineyards, wine, and drunkenness—a fitting image since Moab was famous for its vineyards (Jr 48:11-12; 26; 32–33; Is 16:8-10).
Nebo, Kiriathaim, Heshbon, and several other cities mentioned in this chapter are referred to in The Mesha Stele, also known as the Moabite Stone, a black basalt stele (an inscribed or carved stone for commemorative purposes), four feet by two feet, written about 840 BC as a memorial of Mesha, king of Moab (2Kg 3:3-10). This stele was discovered in what is now Jordan in 1868, and is kept in the British Museum. It records Mesha’s victories over “Omri king of Israel” (1Kg 16:23-28) and “his son” (his descendants, 2Kg 3:4), who had been “oppressing” Moab. The Mesha Stele bears the earliest known extrabiblical reference to the Hebrew name of God, YHWH, as well as a reference to “the house of David.”
1. Moab’s Land to Be Destroyed (48:1-10)
48:1-5. The Lord’s judgment against Moab is frequently mentioned in Scripture (Is 15:1–16:14; Ezk 25:8-11; Am 2:1-3; Zph 2:8-11). In this section God’s judgment will result in devastation and great destruction! Moab is described as broken. The initial oracle describes Nebuchadnezzar’s advance against Moab.
Nebo is the name of the mountain from which Moses viewed the promised land and died (cf. Dt 32:48-50), as well as a Moabite city located southwest of Heshbon (Nm 32:3; Is 15:2). Since it has been destroyed this indicates that the Nebo here is the city. The phrase has been is a Hebrew prophetic perfect verb, indicating that the prophecy was so certain, it was if it had already occurred). The city of Kiriathaim was also inhabited by the tribe of Reuben (Jos 13:19) and later captured by Moab and would be captured again.
Heshbon was a region about 35 miles east of Jerusalem, northeast of the northern tip of the Dead Sea (Nm 1:26; Dt 2:24). As part of the conquest of the land, Heshbon was allotted to the tribe of Reuben (Nm 32:37; Jos 13:17) but assigned as a Levitical town to Gad since it was on the border of Gad (Jos 13:26; 21:39). It would suffer calamity.
The city of Madmen (mad-mane’, “dunghill”) would be silenced by God in His judgment. The outcry from Horonaim (cf. 2Sm 13:34) would be, Devastation and great destruction! In summary Moab was broken, and her children would be crying in distress. The fugitives of Moab who fled up to Luhith and Horonaim (locations unknown) wept bitterly at the destruction.
48:6-10. The Moabites would flee for their lives to escape the coming judgment. They would become like a juniper bush in the wilderness (17:6), a short shrub that barely survived the harsh habitat. Because Moab had trusted in her achievements and treasures, she would be judged and captured. Chemosh (Jdg 11:24; 2Kg 23:13) was the chief god of Moab. Although little is known about the worship practices, he was associated with the control of the planets and stars. Chemosh is called “the detestable idol of Moab” (1Kg 11:7). Solomon built a sanctuary to Chemosh on the Mount of Olives (1Kg 11:7, 33) that was maintained until the reforms of Josiah (2Kg 23:13). Thus, the worship of Chemosh was a part of the religious life of Israel for nearly 400 years (cf. 1Kg 11:7). The priests of Chemosh and the princes of Moab would be defeated and go off into exile (cf. 49:3).
A destroyer would come on every city. The valley could refer to the many valleys of hilly Moab, or it could refer to the Jordan Valley on Moab’s western border. The plateau was the Transjordan highland where most of the cities of Moab were located. Moab would be destroyed.
The meaning of the Hebrew statement behind the English translation, Give wings to Moab (47:9) is uncertain. Some see a root from Ugaritic for the word (tseets) and translate it as “salt” (NIV); some, relying on the LXX, amend the text and translate it as “gravestone” (NET Bible). The NASB and ESV translate it as “wings,” deriving the translation from an Aramaic root. Abu Walid and most medieval Jewish commentaries support the translation as “wings,” as does the verb in the second part of the verse (“flee”), which makes it the more likely meaning. Thus, Moab will be given wings so she could flee away, leaving her cities as a desolation and without inhabitants. Moab’s destruction was so certain that God said anyone who was lax in performing His work of judgment would be cursed.
2. Moab’s Complacency to Be Shattered (48:11-17)
48:11-13. Protected by natural boundaries between the Dead Sea on the west and the desert to the east, Moab had a history of relative peace. She had been at ease from her youth. Jeremiah compared her to wine left on its dregs (lit., “his flavor has stayed in him”) that had not been emptied from vessel to vessel. This was a picture of a people who had lived undisturbed and not gone into exile.
The Lord declared that the days are coming (cf. comments on 31:27) when He would arouse Moab from her complacency by sending those who would tip … and empty the jars. At that time Moab would be ashamed of Chemosh (cf. v. 7) just as Israel was ashamed of Bethel, one of the two cities in the northern kingdom where Jeroboam set up the golden calf worship following the secession of Israel from Judah (cf. 1Kg 12:26-30). Israel found out too late that her trust in the false god at Bethel could not prevent her destruction and deportation. Moab would learn the same lesson about Chemosh.
48:14-17. Moab felt confident in her warriors who were valiant in battle, yet they would go down in the slaughter. The image of slaughter is drawn from the slaughter of sacrificial animals (Is 34:6). Moab’s calamity was declared by the King … the LORD of Hosts (Jr 46:18) and would come soon and swiftly. Jeremiah called for those nations surrounding Moab to mourn for that nation at the time of its destruction, because the mighty scepter and staff (signifying rule and identity) had been broken (Gn 49:10; Ps 2:9; Ezk 19:11, 14).
3. Moab’s Cities to Experience Catastrophe (48:18-27)
48:18-25. The mighty city of Dibon would be humbled and come down because the destroyer of Moab would come up against her. Dibon was built on two hills, 13 miles east of the Dead Sea near the Arnon River. It was here the Moabite Stone was found (cf. the introduction to chap. 48). Those living in the remote city of Aroer were to stand by the road and ask the people fleeing what has happened. They would wail and cry out when they learned Moab has been destroyed.
Jeremiah listed the cities of Moab on the Transjordan plateau that would be destroyed from north to south. Though the exact location of some is not certain, many of them have been identified. By naming these 11 cities Jeremiah showed that all the towns of Moab, both far and near, would be destroyed. Bozrah here is probably the same as Bezer, the city of refuge (Dt 4:40-43). It may be represented today by Qusur Bashair, some 15 miles Southeast of Dibon (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1939). This is not the same city as Bozrah in Edom (cf. Jr 49:7).
Jeremiah used two symbols of strength and military power to show that Moab’s might would be broken. First, Moab’s horn would be cut off (cf. 1Sm 2:1, 10; Pss 75:4-5; 89:17, 24; Mc 4:13; Zch 1:19-21). Second, Moab’s arm would be broken (Dt 4:34; 11:2; Ps 77:15; Ezk 30:20-26). In Scripture the most common figurative use of horn is taken from the image of battling animals. Horns were emblems of power, dominion, glory, and fierceness, being the chief means of attack and defense for the horned animals such as oxen or rams. Horns represented power or strength of individuals or nations (Dt 33:17; 1Sm 2:1, 10; 1Kg 22:11; Ps 75:4; Jr 48:25). The figure of an arm likewise represented personal power, often in terms of strength in battle (Ps 10:15; Ezk 30:21). It is also used of the omnipotence of God (Ex 15:16; Pss 89:13; 98:1; 77:15; Is 40:10; 53:1).
48:26-27. Jeremiah pictured Moab’s impending doom for being arrogant toward the LORD as a drunk (cf. 25:15-29). Moab would now wallow in his vomit and become a laughingstock. Moab had mocked and scorned Israel with contempt, as toward one caught among thieves. Now Moab would experience the same scorn directed at her.
4. Moab’s Pride to Cease (48:28-39)
48:28-30. Moab would be forced to abandon his cities and dwell among the crags, to hide like dove[s] that nest inside a chasm from the invaders who sought their lives. Moab’s main characteristic was pride (he is very proud; cf. Is 16:6). The physical security and history of relative peace had fed his arrogance (Jr 48:11-12). Unfortunately his insolence and boasts were futile and accomplished nothing in preventing destruction.
48:31-33. Yet God expressed compassion for Moab. He would cry out and moan for Kir-heres, another of her chief cities (cf. Is 16:7, 11). Jeremiah pictured the Lord weeping along with the city of Jazer for the vine of Sibmah, an area covered with vineyards, which would be destroyed. The country of Moab was known for its vineyards (Jr 48:11-12), and Jeremiah pictured Moab as a vineyard that would be destroyed. The tendrils of her branches reached to the sea, a picture of Moab’s wide political and economic influence beyond the Dead Sea. Now the destroyer had fallen on her grape harvest. Moab’s civilization and population would be ruined. The vineyards, the fruitful field, would be devoid of gladness, and the flow of wine would cease from the wine presses. When destruction came there would be shouting (cf. vv. 3-5), but it would not be shouts of joy like those heard at the pressing of grapes.
48:34-39. The outcry of Moab at this destruction would be heard in all its cities, extending from Heshbon in the north to the waters of Nimrim in the southern part of the country. God would put an end to the one who offers sacrifice at Moab’s many high place[s] … who burns incense to his gods.
Although the judgment of Moab is just, the Lord’s heart wails for Moab and the men of Kir-heres (cf. 49:31), like the sound of flutes played by mourners at funerals (Mt 9:22-23). Moab would lose her wealth, and the people would be in mourning with every head shaved bald … and beard cut, many wearing sackcloth (47:5). The Lord had broken Moab like an undesirable vessel (vv. 4, 12; 22:28). The once-proud country was to become a laughingstock and an object of terror to the surrounding nations (cf. 24:9).
5. Moab’s Destruction to Be Complete (48:40-47)
48:40-44. Moab’s enemies would fly swiftly like an eagle spreading its wings over Moab to seize her. The Moabite city of Kerioth would be captured, and their mighty men (cf. v. 14) would be as fearful as a woman in labor (cf. 49:24; 50:43). Jeremiah repeated parts of vv. 40-41 in 49:22 in his message to Edom.
The Lord told Moab exactly why she will be destroyed. Destruction would come because Moab was arrogant toward the LORD. None would escape: those who would try to flee God’s terror would fall into a pit; anyone who climbs up out of the pit would be caught in the snare (cf. Am 5:18-20). All in Moab would take part in the year of their punishment.
48:45-47. This section on Moab’s judgment is a quote from an old Heshbon song (cf. Nm 21:27-29). Balaam’s oracles against Moab would soon be fulfilled. The fugitives who had escaped the destruction stood without strength because God’s fire of judgment had gone out into all Moab to burn those who had been boasters. Now the nation was destroyed, the people of Chemosh have perished. The Lord’s judgment was upon Moab because of their enmity toward Judah (cf. Ezk 25:8-10). Yet God still offered hope to Moab. He vowed to restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days. The phrase “the latter days” places this restoration during the millennial reign of Christ (cf. Dt 4:30; Jr 49:39; Dn 2:28; 10:14).
D. Prophecy against Ammon (49:1-6)
The Ammonites were descendants of Lot (Gn 19:38) and lived east of the Jordan River, north of Moab. Their capital was Rabbah, modern Amman, Jordan. The Ammonites were frequent enemies, and poor allies to Israel. In the days of Moses and Joshua they hindered the Jewish people from entering Israel and supported Balak in his plan to curse them (Dt 23:4), then during the reign of Jehoiakim they raided Judah (2Kg 24:2). Later they allied with Judah against Babylon during Judah’s final revolt, yet were a driving force for the assassination of Gedaliah for their own advantage (Jr 40:13-14). When Jewish people returned after the captivity, Ammonites hindered the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh 4:7).
49:1-3. The judgment on Ammon is introduced by a series of rhetorical questions of reproach focusing on Ammon’s sin. The northern kingdom of Israel had been taken captive in 722 BC, and Ammon, assuming Israel had no sons or heirs who would return to the land, seized Israel’s territory of Gad just east of the Jordan River and north of the Dead Sea.
The Lord announced that days were coming (cf. comments on 31:27) when an enemy would attack Ammon’s capital city of Rabbah, and it would become a desolate heap. Then Israel will take possession and repossess the land taken from them by Ammon.
Heshbon, on the border between Moab and Ammon, was controlled by different countries at different periods of time (cf. Jdg 11:12, 26; Jr 48:34, 45). The Ai mentioned in v. 2 was not the Ai in Israel (cf. Jos 7:2). It was a city in Ammon whose location is not known today. The people of Rabbah would put on sackcloth (see comments on Jr 4:8) and lament (cf. 48:37). Molech, also known as Malcam (which could be translated “their king”) was the national god of Ammon and would go into exile together with his followers, priests and princes (cf. 48:7).
49:4-6. Ammon’s sin, like Moab’s, was pride (cf. 48:29). Ammon was boastful of her valleys that were so fruitful. She trusted in her treasures and felt secure enough to question who would have the courage to come against her (cf. Ezk 21:18-23). But God’s judgment would shatter Ammon’s confidence and pride when He brought His terror on her. Those who had been boasting of their security would be driven out, and no leader would be found to gather the fugitives. Yet in His grace God vowed that afterward He would restore the fortunes (captivity) of the Ammonites, just as He promised Moab (cf. Jr 48:47; 49:39).
E. Prophecy against Edom (49:7-22)
The country of Edom was south of Moab and southeast of the Dead Sea, stretching toward the Gulf of Aqaba. Edomites were the descendants of Esau (Gn 25:1-34; 36:1-19). It had a long history of conflict with Judah so that Edom came to symbolize all the heathen nations that sought Judah’s harm (cf. Jr 9:25-26; 25:17-26; Ezk 35; 36:5; Ob 15-16). Much of the imagery Jeremiah used to describe Edom parallels that used by Obadiah, whose prophecies were directed specifically at Edom.
49:7-13. The association of wisdom with the men of Teman (v. 7) is ancient (cf. Jb 2:11), and all of Edom was known for its wise men (cf. Ob 8). Teman was in central Edom. The district was named after Teman, the grandson of Esau, the son of his firstborn, Eliphaz (Gn 36:11; 1Ch 1:36). The area was associated with Bozrah (cf. Jr 49:13; Am 1:12), the capital of Edom in the days of Jeremiah (cf. Jr 49:13).
Dedan (v. 8), a city in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula southeast of Edom, was known for its trading (cf. 25:23; Ezk 25:13). The Dedanites living in Edom were warned to flee away and turn back from the disaster God was about to bring on Esau, the name of their progenitor being used by metonymy for the nation. Two images were used to show the thoroughness of God’s judgment. His judgment would be more thorough than grape gatherers who at least leave a few grapes on the vine as gleanings when they are done (Jr 49:9; cf. Ob 5c; Dt 24:21). God’s judgment would also be more thorough than thieves by night who steal only until they have enough (cf. Ob 5). In contrast, after God’s judgment Esau (Edom) would be stripped bare of her population (Jr 49:10) and have no hiding places. Only the helpless orphans and widows would be kept alive (v. 11).
Judgment against Edom is mentioned more frequently than against any other foreign nation (Is 11:14; 34:5-17; 63:1-6; Lm 4:21-22; Jl 3:19; Am 1:11-12; 9:11-12; Mal 1:4). Edom’s primary sin was its prideful, unrelenting and violent hatred of Israel and rejoicing over Israel’s misfortunes (Ob 3, 10-14). If nations unrelated to Judah were to drink the cup of the wrath of God (Jr 49:12) and be punished for their mistreatment of her, then nations closely related to Judah deserved greater condemnation (cf. 25:15-29; Ob 10).
The seriousness of this judgment is highlighted because God had sworn by Himself that He would enact this judgment (v. 13; cf. 22:5; 51:14; Gn 22:16; Is 45:23). This Bozrah is the ancient city of Jobab, one of the early Edomite kings (Gn 36:33). It is often mentioned by the prophets (Is 34:6; Jr 49:13; Am 1:12; Mc 2:12). It lies in the mountain district of Petra, 20 miles southeast of the Dead Sea and was the capital of Edom (not the same as the Bozrah in Moab, Jr 48:24). Falling under God’s judgment, it would become an object of horror and ruin (cf. 24:9; Is 63:1-6).
49:14-18. Borrowing language from international diplomacy, Jeremiah pictured God sending an envoy to His allies among the nations asking them to gather and rise up for battle against Edom (cf. Ob 1). The Lord would make Edom small among the nations and despised by all (cf. Ob 2). Edom’s pride in her strong natural defenses made her feel secure, but no topography could protect Edom from invaders sent by God. He would bring her down (cf. Ob 4) from her clefts of the rock, and people would be horrified at her condition (cf. Jr 24:9; 49:13). Edom would be destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah (cf. 50:40) so that no one will live there.
49:19-22. God is pictured as fierce as a lion when He rose up to make Edom run away from its land. No one would be able to challenge God: For who is like Me (Ex 15:11; Is 46:8-9) and who will summon Me … who then is the shepherd … who can stand against Me? Jeremiah laid out the plan of the LORD against Edom. He would drag away the young of the flock and destroy the pasture of Edom. The cry of destruction would carry to the Red (Reed) Sea—the site of God’s first destruction of a nation that threatened His chosen people (cf. Ex 14:21-31). Jeremiah repeated (with slight modifications) his message concerning Edom to his message about Babylon (compare Jr 49:19-21 and 50:44-46).
Jeremiah used images here earlier applied to Moab (48:40-41) for Edom. The noise of Edom’s downfall would shake the earth. God indicated that like an eagle He would swoop down in judgment upon Bozrah. The hearts of the warriors on which Edom depended would be as afraid as the heart of a woman in labor (cf. 48:41; 49:24; 50:43). They would not be able to stop God’s destruction.
Notably, Jeremiah offered no future blessing for Edom. Unlike Egypt, Moab, and Ammon (cf. 46:26; 48:47; 49:6), Edom was given no promise of future restoration. Her wickedness toward Israel, especially Edom’s assistance in the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem, precluded future blessing (Ps 137:7; Is 34:5-8; 63:1-4; Lm 4:21-22; Ezk 25:13-14; Am 1:11-12; Ob 10). Amos predicted that Israel will “possess the remnant of Edom” (Am 9:12) indicating that in the messianic kingdom, the faithful remnant of Edom will not have a distinct national area but will become a possession of the land of Israel.
F. Prophecy against Damascus (49:23-27)
49:23-27. Damascus was the ancient capital of Aram (modern Syria) and is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. Damascus is located 70 miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee on a natural highway from east to west, making it a center of commerce (Ezk 27:18). Three major caravan routes passed through Damascus heading southwest to Israel and Egypt, south to Edom and the Red Sea, and east to Babylon and Mesopotamia. Damascus is mentioned in Scripture in connection with Abraham, first in the rescue of Lot (Gn 14:15), and second in connection with Abraham’s faithful servant Eleazar who was from Damascus (Gn 15:2). From the reign of David to its fall to Assyria in 732 BC (2Kg 16:7-9), Damascus was in conflict with Israel. When Babylon conquered Assyria, Damascus was also carried away into exile (605 BC).
When the trade route cities of Hamath, 115 miles north of Damascus, and Arpad, 95 miles north of Hamath, heard the bad news of the fall of Damascus, they were disheartened and could not be calmed (Is 10:9). These smaller fortified cities had their own kings and local gods, and were fearful that if Damascus fell, there was no hope for them.
Damascus’s pain was like that of a woman in childbirth (cf. Jr 4:31; 13:21; 22:23), as her young men and the men of war died (would be silenced) in her streets. As he did to other cities, Nebuchadnezzar burned the wall of Damascus (cf. Am 1:4; Jr 32:29; 38:23; 43:12). God vowed to consume the fortified towers of Ben-hadad, the name of the dynasty that ruled in Damascus (“Ben-hadad” means “son of the god Hadad”) in the ninth and eighth centuries BC (cf. 1Kg 15:18, 20; 20:1-34; 2Kg 6:24; 8:7; 13:3, 24).
G. Prophecy against Kedar and Hazor (49:28-33)
Kedar was a nomadic tribe in the north Arabian desert, descendants of Ishmael (cf. Gn 25:13) known for their archery skills (Is 21:16-17), sheep herding (Is 60:7; Jr 49:28-29), extensive trade (Ezk 27:21), and warlike nature (Ps 120:5-6). The kingdoms of Hazor (not the Hazor in northern Israel) were a district of villages in the Arabian desert, not yet located. It is a general term designating several nomadic tribes in northern Arabia (Jos 15:23-25). Arab tribes sometimes served the Babylonians as mercenaries. The Babylonian Chronicles (cf. Jr 43:8) record Nebuchadnezzar’s campaigns against Arab tribes in 599 BC. The exact reason for God’s judgment on these desert people is not specified, but as Huey observes, “Perhaps the purpose for including these relatively insignificant peoples was to show that no one, however unimportant by our standards, would escape God’s judgment” (F. B. Huey, Jr., Jeremiah, Lamentations, NAC, ed. E. Ray Clendenen [Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 1993], 405).
49:28-29. God summoned Nebuchadnezzar to attack Kedar, destroying their tents, flocks, and camels (Sg 1:5), causing terror on every side (Jr 6:25; 20:3, 10; 46:5).
49:30-33. The people of Hazor were warned to flee and hide from Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. These Arabian people felt so secure in their remote desert location that they had no gates or bars to protect against attack. The inhabitants would scatter to the all the winds, and the city would become a haunt of jackals (cf. 9:11; 10:22; 51:37). These metaphors of desolation are also used to describe Jerusalem (9:11) and the cities of Judah (10:22).
H. Prophecy against Elam (49:34-39)
49:34-39. The people of Elam were descendants of Shem (Gn 10:22; Ezk 4:9). Elam was east of Babylon in the lower Tigris River Valley (modern Iran). Their capital was Shusan (Susa) (Neh 1:1; Est 1:2; Dn 8:2). Elamites were skilled archers (cf. Is 22:6), and fought for control of Mesopotamia against the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians.
This prophecy was given at the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah (597 BC). God would break the bow of Elam, their most notable skill, and the finest of their might (cf. Is 22:6). Her invaders would come from all directions (the four winds and the four ends of heaven) and would scatter them to all these winds.
Though there is some evidence that Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Elamites about 596 BC, their subjugation at that time did not fulfill this message. Elam became a central part of the Persian Empire that later conquered Babylon (cf. Dn 8:2). Jeremiah’s statement about Elam’s destruction seems to take on eschatological dimensions as God said He would set My throne in Elam to supervise her destruction. These events were to happen in the last days (cf. Jr 23:20). Yet Elam’s destruction will not be total because God will restore the fortunes of Elam (cf. 48:47; 49:6).
I. Prophecy against Babylon (50:1–51:64)
1. The Announcement of Judgment (50:1-10)
50:1-3. The time of fulfillment for Jeremiah’s prophecies of the judgments of Babylon and the restoration of Israel is a matter of controversy. Some have suggested that all the future events in the book of Jeremiah, spoken of as “days are coming” (see comments on 16:14 and 31:27-40), were fulfilled when the Jewish people returned from Babylon in 539 BC. However, for a number of reasons, it seems better to understand these as eschatological, end-time, events.
(1) The return is to be from “all the countries where He had banished them” not just from Babylon. This return will be so spectacular it will overshadow in importance the return from Egyptian captivity (16:14-15; 23:7-8; 29:14; 32:37; Is 43:5-7; Ezk 34:13-14; 37:21). (2) When the Jewish people return, they will be transformed spiritually, cleansed of all iniquity and idolatry (Jr 3:15-18; 31:14; 33:6-11; 50:4-5). Sadly, this was not the spiritual condition of the Jewish people when they returned from Babylon. Throughout their post-Babylonian history, Jewish people have wandered from the Lord. The spiritual transformation of Israel will only occur in the future, when the nation will turn and recognize Jesus as Messiah (Zch 12:10). (3) In the future Israel will “dwell securely” because the land of Israel will be in complete peace, “never to be overthrown again” (Jr 23:6; 31:40; 33:16; 46:27-28). However, when the Jewish people returned from Babylon, they were met with immediate and violent opposition by the Samaritans living in the land (Neh 4:1-8; 6:1-9). That opposition was just the beginning of conflict. Since the return from Babylon, Israel has never enjoyed a time of genuine security. After the captivity they lived under the domination of the Greeks and Romans, then were expelled from the land (AD 70) and suffered persecution (from the Crusades to the Inquisition to the Holocaust) up to the present time. Although the modern state of Israel provides a homeland for the Jewish people, since its founding in 1948 Israel has not had a single year of peace and has been under constant threat of war and annihilation. Only when the Messiah Jesus rules from Jerusalem will the nation be guaranteed to live in safety and “not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever.” (4) In the future Israel will be ruled by King Messiah, the Son of David, the Righteous Branch (Jr 23:5-6; 30:8-11; 33:14-17). He will establish righteousness in the people and security in the land. This certainly did not occur at the return from Babylon, but awaits fulfillment after the time of Jacob’s distress, when all Israel will be saved (Rm 11:26-27; Is 59:20). (5) The destruction of Babylon described does not fit the historical events of the period. The prophet foretold that Babylon would be destroyed in a cataclysmic way (Jr 50:29–51:64). But when Babylon fell to the Medes, it was not by violent attack but rather peaceful takeover. The events described here certainly are yet future.
The Lord commanded Jeremiah to declare, proclaim (twice), lift up a standard, and not conceal the public humiliation of Babylon. She would be captured. Bel, her protecting god (also known as Marduk) was the supreme deity of Babylon (cf. 51:44; Is 46:1). He was their god of thunder, fertility, and power, but he would be shattered and put to shame (cf. Jr 46:24). Shattering the chief pagan god points to the God of Israel as the one and only true God (Jdg 16:23-31; 1Sm 5:1-7). The repetition of these phrases underscores the doom of these pagan idols (cf. Is 44:9-20).
Babylon would be destroyed by a nation from the north (cf. Jr 50:9). Many see this as a reference to Babylon’s fall to the Medo-Persian Empire, but several points do not fit historically. First, the Persians were from the east of Babylon, not from the north. Second, when Cyrus took Babylon he did not make her land an object of horror or destroy the city. Several times Jeremiah emphasized that Babylon would be uninhabited (cf. 50:39b-40; 51:29, 37, 43, 62). Yet Cyrus spared the city and made it one of the ruling centers for the Persian Empire. He appointed Daniel to a key administrative position there (cf. Dn 5:30; 6:1-3). Third, no one fled the city when it fell to Medo-Persia. In fact, Daniel, who had access to Jeremiah’s prophecies (cf. Dn 9:1-2), remained in the city during and after its fall (cf. Dn 5:28, 30-31; 6:1-3). Fourth, the promise that in those days and at that time … the sons of Israel … and the sons of Judah would again unite as a nation, return to Zion, and bind themselves to God in an everlasting covenant (cf. Jr 31:31; 32:40) was not fulfilled when Babylon fell in 539 BC. Jeremiah’s prophecy looked beyond the ancient destruction of Babylon to a future, eschatological devastation that will reverse the fortunes of Israel and Judah. The future destruction of Babylon will be the climax of God’s judgment on the Gentile powers that have oppressed His people, and it will open the way for the fulfilling of God’s promises to Israel. Scripture elsewhere points to this still future rebuilding of Israel and destruction of Babylon (cf. Zch 5:5-11; Rv 17–18). The ancient city of Babylon, which has fallen into ruin over the centuries, will be rebuilt prior to the coming of the antichrist only to be destroyed at the end of the tribulation before Messiah returns to establish His millennial reign.
50:4-5. In those days and at that time, the Jewish people, Israel and Judah, will return to the Lord, weeping in repentance (3:21-22; 31:9; Zch 12:10), and it will be the LORD their God whom they will seek. These events will take place following the future tribulation period (Jr 30:7) when Israel will turn and recognize Jesus at Messiah (Zch 12:10) and all Israel will be saved. The everlasting covenant refers to the new covenant (Jr 31:31ff.; Ps 84:5). At that time, Israel will return to Zion to join themselves to the LORD and enjoy the blessings of the messianic kingdom (cf. comments v. 1).
50:6-10. These verses are an editorial comment on the restoration of Israel and Judah. They will need to be restored because they have been lost sheep, led astray by false shepherds, wandering over mountain and hill (cf. 23:1-2; Ezk 36:5-6). They have forgotten their resting place in the Lord (Jr 50:19-20). They have been devoured by their enemies because they sinned against the LORD … the habitation of righteousness … the hope of their fathers (14:8, 22).
Their adversaries justified their attacks on the Jewish people by saying, We are not guilty, since the Jewish people deserve to be attacked—they have sinned against the LORD. This is a line of anti-Semitic logic that has been used by the Babylonians, the Crusaders, the Inquisition, and the Nazis—and that continues today against Jewish people and the nation of Israel.
2. The Fall of Babylon (50:11-16)
50:11-13. Babylon was judged because she was glad and jubilant when they pillage[d] Judah. God will judge any nation that rejoices, frolicking like a heifer and neighing like stallions, when it pillage[s] His heritage (whether it be the land of Israel, Ex 15:17; Jr 3:18; 12:14, or the people of Israel, Dt 9:26, 29; 10:16). The Lord vowed to disgrace Babylon by making it a wilderness, completely desolate, and a horror to all who pass by (cf. Lm 2:15).
50:14-16. Babylon will fall in battle because she has sinned against the LORD. The battle was graphically pictured with the enemy archers taking their positions around the city and shooting arrows at Babylon’s defenders. When the city finally surrenders, her pillars and walls will be torn down and God’s vengeance (used twice for emphasis) will be poured out. She would suffer what she had done to others. Again, this scene was not fulfilled when Cyrus the Mede conquered Babylon in 539 BC, taking the city without drastic warfare. This fall of Babylon awaits a future fulfillment at the end of days (vv. 1-3).
3. The Restoration of Israel (50:17-20)
50:17-20. Israel, here both the northern and southern kingdoms, had become like a scattered flock (vv. 6-7). The northern kingdom had been conquered by Assyria in 722 BC, and the southern kingdom was crushed by Babylon in 586 BC. The Lord vowed to restore His people, and punish the kings of Babylon and Assyria for their destruction of His people. He will bring Israel back to her land. Once again, the Mediterranean summit of Carmel and the fertile plains of Bashan east of the Sea of Galilee will belong to Israel, as will the hills of Ephraim and Gilead on the western and eastern banks of the Jordan River. These blessings are eschatological and will occur in those days and at that time (see comments on v. 1). These blessings are not just geographic, but they include a spiritual renewal. Though some will search for the iniquity of Israel, it cannot be found for there will be none. Israel’s guilt and the sins of Judah will not be found because God will pardon His remnant (31:31-34).
4. The Attack on Babylon (50:21-40)
50:21-28. Using two wordplays, God ordered the attack on the land of Merathaim and on the people in Pekod. Merathaim was the region of Mat Marratim in southern Babylon where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers enter the Persian Gulf. However, the word in Hebrew (meratayim) means “double rebellion.” Pekod referred to an Aramean tribe (called the Pequdu) in southern Babylon on the east bank of the Tigris River; but the word in Hebrew (peqod) means “to punish” or “punishment,” creating a play on words. Thus God was saying He would attack the land of double rebellion and inflict His punishment on it.
The noise of battle signaled the great destruction of Babylon. Like a hammer, Babylon had been shattering the whole earth, but now she would be broken. God spoke of Himself as a hunter who had set a snare and caught Babylon, because she had engaged in conflict with the LORD. To battle against Zion is to battle with the Lord, as the Psalmist says: “Your enemies … hate You … and make plans against Your people and conspire together against Your treasured ones” (Ps 83:2-3; Gn 12:3; 2Kg 19:21-22). The fall of Babylon will be reported by the refugees who will declare in Zion that Babylon’s destruction was the vengeance of the LORD our God as vengeance for His temple (Jr 52:13).
50:29-32. Many archers were summoned to encamp against Babylon to ensure that no one would escape, and to repay her according to her work. Judgment fell on Babylon because she had become arrogant against the LORD … the Holy One of Israel (regarding Damascus, cf. 49:26). The arrogant one would stumble and fall with no one to help as the Lord’s judgment set fire to her cities and environs (cf. 15:14; Lm 4:11; Am 1:4, 7, 10, 12, 14; 2:2, 5).
50:33-34. The people of Israel and Judah were being oppressed and held captive by enemies who refused to let them go, a phrase reminiscent of Pharaoh’s response to Moses (Ex 5–10). Their release here is not just the return from Babylon, but an end-time deliverance (Jr 31:11; Is 63:1; see comments on v. 1).
Their Redeemer is strong, the LORD of hosts is His name who will plead their case (Mc 7:9) and bring rest to the earth (Is 2:4; 11:9). As Feinberg points out, “Few nations have ever realized that God is the Kinsman-Redeemer of Israel (50:34). The OT gave specific instructions for the kinsman redeemer, the male relative who had the responsibility to act to protect a relative from physical or financial danger (Gn 48:16; Ex 6:6; Lv 27:9-25, 47-55; Nm 5:8, 35:9-34). This is the background of Boaz’s purchase of the field from Naomi and marriage to Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law in the Book of Ruth. The Kinsman-Redeemer is voluntarily committed to champion Israel’s cause. He brings peace to His own but unrest to His oppressors” (Charles L. Feinberg, Jeremiah: A Commentary [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1982], 322).
50:35-38. The “turmoil” their Redeemer will bring on Babylon (v. 34) is the sword (hereb), used five times in this section, followed by the pronouncement of a drought (horeb). This two-pronged judgment, a wordplay in Hebrew, will devastate the land of idols and the people who acted like lunatics in worship of idols (25:16).
50:39-40. The great Babylon will become desolate, a home for desert creatures … jackals (9:11; 10:22; 49:33; 51:37) and ostriches. After its destruction Babylon will never again be inhabited (cf. comments v. 3). Her desolation will be as complete as God’s overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah (49:18; Gn 19:24-25). This prediction awaits end-time fulfillment, since Babylon has been inhabited throughout history.
5. The Anguish of Babylon (50:41-46)
50:41-46. The Lord applied the same words of judgment for Babylon as He had for Jerusalem (cf. 6:22-24). Verses 44-46 are almost verbatim the judgment expressed against Edom (49:19-21). Here the judgment is applied to Babylon.
6. God’s Vengeance against Babylon (51:1-14)
51:1-10. The Lord will arouse … a destroyer against Babylon and Leb-kamai. The expression “Leb-kamai” means “heart of my adversaries” but it is an atbash (see comments on 25:26) for Chaldea. The consonants for “heart of my adversary,” when reversed in the Hebrew alphabet, spell “Chaldea.” Foreigners sent by God to devastate Babylon will completely destroy her army.
The destruction of Babylon was a sign that neither Israel nor Judah had been forsaken by their God. He would destroy Babylon so that Israel and Judah would be free to return home (cf. 50:33-34). God called to His people to flee from Babylon to avoid being destroyed (cf. 50:8; Rv 18:4). Babylon had been the Lord’s golden cup (Jr 51:7) of judgment intoxicating all the earth (cf. 25:15-29; Rv 17:3-4; 18:6), and she too will be broken. As she suddenly falls, her allies will try to find balm for her pain (cf. Jr 8:22; 46:11); but she will not be healed so her allies will desert her to avoid the effects of her judgment. God’s people, knowing the LORD has brought about their vindication (51:5; 50:28, 34; Pss 9:1-6; 35:27; Is 54:17) by judging Babylon, will raise a song of praise in Zion to recount … the work of the LORD (cf. Jr 23:5-6; 50:28; Is 40:9).
51:11-14. Jeremiah described in familiar terms the preparations of the armies poised to attack Babylon (cf. 46:4, 9; 50:2). The attackers were, in a limited sense, the kings of the Medes (v. 28) when they conquered Babylon (539 BC; cf. Dn 5:31). This could indicate that one of the future kings who will invade Babylon during the tribulation period will come from the area controlled by the Medes (what is today northern Iran; cf. comments Jr 50:1-5). God will summon this army to take vengeance (v. 11; cf. 46:10; 50:15, 28, 34; 51:6, 36) on Babylon for her having destroyed His temple (cf. 50:28).
God will carry out His purpose to destroy the Babylonians who dwell by many waters, that is, near the Euphrates River, because He has sworn by Himself to do it (cf. 44:26; 49:13). The Lord has personally assured victory over Babylon.
7. God’s Sovereignty over Babylon (51:15-26)
51:15-19. Babylon’s downfall is guaranteed by the Maker of all, the LORD of hosts (v. 19). Jeremiah stressed God’s sovereignty and power, and His relationship with Jacob … His inheritance in language that is virtually synonymous with 10:12-16 (cf. comments there).
51:20-26. Babylon was God’s war-club, to shatter (napas, “to shatter to pieces”) other nations (50:23). The phrase I shatter is used nine times in vv. 20-23 indicating the extent to which God had used Babylon for judgment. Now, however, the Lord will repay Babylon for the evil they had done in Zion. Babylon is called a destroying mountain; but it will become a burnt out mountain, like an extinct volcano, made desolate forever by God’s judgment.
8. The Summons to the Nations against Babylon (51:27-33)
51:27-33. God summoned the nations for the third time (cf. 50:2; 51:12) calling them to lift up their signal banner and rally their troops against Babylon. The nations set apart for this task include the Medes, as well as the kingdoms of Ararat (present-day Armenia), Minni (an area in western Iran), and Ashkenaz (northwestern Iran, near Turkey). The people in all three areas were warlike.
These invaders will be appointed to accomplish the purposes of the LORD against Babylon and make Babylon a desolation without inhabitants. Since this has not yet transpired, this desolation will be an end-time event (48:9; 51:29, 37; cf. comments on 50:3). Instead of offering resistance, the warriors of Babylon will stop fighting and withdraw to their strongholds for protection. The city will be captured, with every escape route and hiding place burned. Even the fords, ferries, or bridges, and marshes on the Euphrates surrounding the city of Babylon will be set ablaze preventing escape. Ancient Babylon had an extensive and well-known messenger network. These couriers will run the message from one to another … to tell the king that his whole city, from end to end, has been captured.
God compared Babylon to a threshing floor being prepared for use. At threshing time, the ground would be stamped firm to make it ready to use for threshing and winnowing grain. Likewise Babylon has been prepared for judgment, and would be stamped down, like the threshing floor awaiting the work of harvest, a familiar image of destruction (Is 27:12; Jl 3:13; Mc 4:12-13).
9. God’s Revenge on Babylon (51:34-44)
51:34-36. Zion complained that the violence she suffered at the hands of Babylon should be repaid. Nebuchadnezzar had devoured and crushed Jerusalem. Her complaint would be answered by the Lord, who would plead her case and exact full vengeance (Ps 140:12; Mc 7:9; cf. comments on Jr 50:33-34).
Babylon, built on the alluvial plain of the Euphrates, was famous for her extensive fountains and irrigated city gardens. In judgment, God would dry up the sea (lit., “broad river”) and make her fountain dry.
51:37-44. God answered Zion’s question (v. 35) by declaring that He will make Babylon a heap of ruins and a haunt of jackals (cf. 50:39-40), a place where no one lives (cf. comments on 50:3). She will be an object of … hissing (cf. comments on 24:9). The Babylonians were fierce like young lions (cf. 2:15), and God will prepare a banquet for them to make them drunk (25:15-16, 26). As they drink from His cup of judgment they will sleep and never wake up (cf. v. 57). The Babylonians are also compared to lambs (cf. 50:45) being led to the slaughter.
Sheshak (or Sheshach) was an atbash for “Babylon” (see comments on “Sheshach” in 25:26; cf. 51:1). Babylon will be captured and destroyed. She will be engulfed as if the sea had risen over her. Her cities will become desolate (cf. comments on 50:3) like a desert.
Babylon was famous for its main god, Bel, and for its impressive walls. God will punish Bel (cf. 50:2) by making him spew out the wealth he had swallowed. The wall of Babylon was a double wall. The inner wall was 21 feet thick and wide enough for several chariots to race across the top side by side. It was separated from the outer wall by a 23-foot dry moat. Yet, even the wall of Babylon has fallen down!
10. The Warning to the Remnant in Babylon (51:45-48)
51:45-48. God ordered His people to come forth from Babylon to save themselves and escape God’s judgment. They were not to be afraid of the many reports of victory or violence. Instead they were to remain confident that the days are coming when God would punish … Babylon. At that time heaven and earth … will shout for joy over God’s victory. This was not fulfilled at the return from Babylon authorized by Cyrus (539 BC), but refers to Israel’s great end-of-days regathering from worldwide dispersion. (see comments on 16:14, 31:27-40; 50:1; Rv 18:20).
11. The Certainty of Babylon’s Fall (51:49-53)
51:49-50. God had ordained that Babylon must fall because she was responsible for the slain of Israel. God promised Abraham that those who cursed him would themselves be cursed (Gn 12:2-3). This assurance is applied to Babylon. When the Israelites escape from the future destruction of Babylon they should depart … not stay. Instead they should remember the LORD and think on Jerusalem (Pss 84:5; 137:5). Babylon’s destruction will be the catalyst God uses to bring the Jewish people home to their land. Babylon had a Jewish community from the OT period until the mid-1950s. After the birth of the modern state of Israel however, anti-Semitism became so intense in Iraq that virtually the whole Jewish population fled to the new state of Israel to save their lives. Persecution in modern Babylon was certainly a catalyst to bring Jewish people back to the land of Israel. The flight of the Jewish people from Iraq to Israel may be the fulfillment of this prophecy, escaping before the eschatological judgment of Babylon.
51:51-53. As the remnant in exile thought of Jerusalem, they were ashamed and disgrace[d] because they heard that aliens had entered the holy places of the temple. God comforted these exiles by assuring them that days are coming when He will punish (destroy) Babylon’s idols (cf. vv. 44, 47). No matter how she would fortify her … stronghold, God still vowed to send destroyers (cf. v. 48) against her.
12. God’s Repayment of Babylon (51:54-58)
51:54-58. An outcry … of great destruction will be heard from the land of Babylon, because the LORD is going to destroy Babylon. Her own loud noise of political power and world significance will vanish because the LORD is a God of recompense, He will fully repay (cf. 46:10; 50:15, 28; 51:6, 11, 36). Every class of officials in Babylon will become drunk on God’s wine of judgment (cf. 25:15-29; 51:7-8); they will sleep and not wake up (cf. v. 39). Again such wholesale destruction of Babylon’s leaders and warriors did not occur when Babylon fell to Medo-Persia (cf. Dn 5:29-6:2). It still awaits God’s future fulfillment in the tribulation (cf. Jr 50:1-3).
Since God had already announced that the broad wall of Babylon will be completely razed and her gates … set on fire (cf. 50:15; 51:30, 44; Hab 2:13), any toil expended to prevent His judgment is for nothing, only creating fuel for the fire.
13. Seraiah’s Symbolic Mission (51:59-64)
51:59. The capstone of Jeremiah’s oracle against Babylon was a message to Seraiah, a staff officer to king Zedekiah. Seraiah went to Babylon with Zedekiah in the fourth year of his reign (594–593 BC). William Shea offers strong evidence that Nebuchadnezzar summoned all his vassal kings to Babylon in 594 BC to ensure their loyalty after an attempted revolt less than a year earlier. Shea believes that this gathering was recorded in Dn 3 (William H. Shea, “Daniel 3: Extra-Biblical Texts and the Convocation on the Plain of Dura,” Andrews University Seminary Studies 20 [Spring 1982]: 29-52). Whatever the cause, Zedekiah was forced to make an official trip to Babylon, and brought along Baruch’s brother, Seraiah.
51:60-64. Jeremiah wrote … a single scroll of all the prophecies of calamity … concerning Babylon. Probably this was the information recorded in chaps. 50–51 of Jeremiah. He gave the scroll to Seraiah with specific instruction. First, he was to read all these words aloud when he got to Babylon. Second, he was to proclaim to his audience this message: You, O LORD, have promised concerning this place … perpetual desolation. Third, as a visual lesson of God’s intention, Seraiah was to tie a stone to the scroll and throw it into the … Euphrates. Finally, as the scroll and stone sank beneath the water, Seraiah was to announce that, like the scroll, Babylon would sink down and not rise because of the calamity the LORD would bring upon her (cf. Rv 18:21; Jr 50:1-3).
The chapter closes with the sentence: Thus far are the words of Jeremiah (v. 64). J. Ludbom has pointed out that this phrase forms an inclusio with 1:1, as the book begins with the phrase, “The words of Jeremiah.” The inclusio gives a suggestion of unity to the entire book (J. Ludbom, Jeremiah: A Study in Ancient Hebrew Rhetoric, SBLDS 18 [Missoula, MT: Scholars, 1975], 25). The sentence makes it clear that the rest of the book is the addition of an unidentified editor who later added chap. 52 to the already compiled work of the prophet Jeremiah. Whoever the editor was (many suggest Baruch), the Holy Spirit guided the editor to include chap. 52 as a fitting ending to the book.
IV. Conclusion: Historical Supplement (52:1-34)
Chapter 52 was written sometime after 561 BC, when King Jehoiachin was released from prison in Babylon (v. 31). It is nearly identical to 2Kg 24:18–25:30. Much of the material is parallel to information in Jr 39, and it serves as a historical supplement to the book of Jeremiah.
It shows that Jeremiah’s words of judgment against Jerusalem had been fulfilled and that his words about Judah’s release from the exile were about to be fulfilled. This final chapter served to vindicate the prophet and encourage the remnant still in captivity. It likewise serves as an encouragement for readers to believe that all the prophecies of the Lord will ultimately be fulfilled by Him.
A. The Fate of Jerusalem (52:1-23)
1. The Fall of Zedekiah (52:1-11)
52:1-11. This is a brief history of Zedekiah, Judah’s final king. It is nearly identical to 2Kg 24:18–25:7, as well as Jr 39:1-7 (cf. comments on 39:1-7).
2. The Destruction of the City (52:12-16)
52:12-16. The fall and burning of Jerusalem was described earlier (chap. 39), but this passage focuses more on the looting and burning of the temple. By the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar (August 17, 586 BC), Jerusalem had been cleared of rebels and sacked by the Babylonians. At that time, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard … came to Jerusalem. He was in charge of the final events in Jerusalem and he burned the house of the LORD, as well as every large house in the city as Jeremiah had predicted (cf. 22:7). Those who survived the siege and had been civic leaders were carried away into exile. Only the poorest people were left behind.
There is a minor issue about the date in this passage, because 2Kg 25:8 indicates that Nebuzaradan came on “the seventh day of the fifth month,” instead of the tenth day. Two possible answers have been suggested. Perhaps there was a scribal error in copying the text. However, there is no textual or manuscript evidence to support this position. The preferable understanding is that “the seventh” was the day Nebuzaradan came to Jerusalem (2Kg 25:8), entered the temple and removed the articles, then set fire to the temple on the ninth day, and the tenth day he burned the house of the LORD and continued burning the city. The Jewish remembrance of the burning of the temple is the fast of the ninth day of the month of Av (Tisha b’Av), a date that falls in late July to early August on the modern calendar.
3. The Destruction of the Temple (52:17-23)
52:17-23. Jeremiah’s conflict with the false prophet Hananiah (27:16–28:17) is the background for this passage. That passage contains Jeremiah’s prediction that the temple vessels would go and remain in Babylon (27:19-22) and the account of Hananiah predicting that the temple vessels would be restored to Israel in peace (28:3), in opposition to what Jeremiah had foretold. At that time Jeremiah said, “when the word of the prophet comes to pass, then that prophet will be known as one whom the LORD has truly sent” (28:9). This account is included at the end of the book as an affirmation of Jeremiah’s authenticity as a prophet and the truth of his entire prophetic work. The details of this chapter prove the accuracy of Jeremiah’s words. Everything from the temple was carried away to Babylon. The inventory is given in detail: the bronze pillars, the firepans, the bowls of fine gold and fine silver, the bronze pomegranates. This was such an extensive undertaking that the writer detailed the size of the bronze pieces that were removed and the number of pomegranates carried away (50:21-23). These treasures were all removed for transport to Babylon before the temple was burned.
B. The Fate of Certain Individuals (52:24-34)
1. The Fate of Those in Jerusalem During Its Fall (52:24-27)
52:24-27. All of Jerusalem’s leaders were rounded up by the captain of the guard. These included Seraiah the chief priest, who was grandson of Hilkiah, the high priest in King Josiah’s time (1Ch 6:13-15) (not the brother of Baruch; cf. Jr 32:12; 51:59), Zephaniah, who was the priest next in rank (cf. 29:25-29; 37:3), and the three officers, doorkeepers who were responsible for keeping order in the temple. Also captured were the official[s] in charge of the men of war, seven of the king’s advisers, and so on. The list indicates that Nebuzaradan took all the leaders of Jerusalem (spiritual, civil, and military) to Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar’s field headquarters was located (v. 9). All these leaders of Jerusalem were struck down, or executed. Then Judah was led away into exile from its land.
2. The Fate of the Exiles (52:28-30)
52:28-30. This account of the fall of Jerusalem is not included in the 2Kg 25 account. It was added here to show that other groups of exiles were taken to Babylon. The dates given for the deportations (Jr 52:28-29) do not correspond with the dates of the two deportations given in 2Kg 24:12-14; 25:8-12. Two possible solutions to this difficulty have been advanced.
First, some suggest the deportations in 2 Kings and Jeremiah refer to the same events and should be harmonized. This is usually done by assuming that the writer of 2 Kings used a non-accession year method of dating the kings of Babylon, while Jeremiah employed an accession year method in Jr 52:28-30. In ancient times, the Israelite system for counting the dates of a king’s reign would include the first year ascended to the throne as the first year of the reign. Alternatively, the Babylonian system did not include the accession year in counting the years of a reign and instead counted the second year as the first. Since 1 and 2 Kings was likely written in Babylon, the author used the Babylonian method while Jeremiah always used the Israelite system (see comments at Dn 1:1 and also John Bright, A History of Israel, 3rd ed. [Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1981], 326 n. 45).
Second, others suggest the first two deportations listed in Jr 52:28-30 were not the same as those in 2 Kings but were minor ones preceding the major deportations associated with Nebuchadnezzar’s capture of Jerusalem in 597 and 586 BC. Two arguments make this second view the more likely view. First, the years given (the seventh and 18th years of Nebuchadnezzar) are each one year earlier than the years given in 2 Kings for the two major assaults on Jerusalem by Babylon (the eighth year, 2Kg 24:12-14; and 19th year, 2Kg 25:8-12 of Nebuchadnezzar). Second, the numbers of captives who were exiled in these deportations mentioned in Jeremiah do not correspond with the numbers taken during the 597 and 586 BC deportations as delineated in 2 Kings. In 597 BC about 10,000 people were taken (2Kg 24:14), but here Jeremiah (Jr 52:28) mentioned only 3,023. In 586 BC Nebuchadnezzar deported “the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the people” (2Kg 25:11). The figure in Jeremiah Jr 52:29 of just 832 seems far too low to correspond to this final deportation. So according to this second view it seems reasonable to assume that these two deportations (vv. 28-29) are secondary deportations. The writer included them (along with a third minor deportation mentioned in v. 30) to show the full extent of Babylon’s destruction of Judah. (See Alberto R. Green, “The Chronology of the Last Days of Judah: Two Apparent Discrepancies,” Journal of Biblical Literature 101 [1982]: 57-73.)
The third deportation mentioned by Jeremiah perhaps corresponds with Nebuchadnezzar’s return to the land after Gedaliah’s assassination (cf. chap. 41). Certainly such a threat to Babylon’s control over Judah did not go unnoticed. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar sent a force to restore order and to remove anyone suspected of promoting rebellion. The small number of 745 Jews would support the limited size of this action. The dates of these three deportations (based on a Tishri calendar, counting the New Year from Rosh Hashanah, Feast of Trumpets in the Fall) mentioned in vv. 28-30 were then (1) Nebuchadnezzar’s seventh year (598 BC), (2) his 18th year (587 BC), and (3) his 23rd year (582 BC).
3. The Fate of Jehoiachin (52:31-34)
52:31-34. These verses are also found in 2Kg 25:27-30, with minor variations. In the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s exile (561–560 BC) Evil-merodach (Awl-marduk, “man of Marduk,” god of Babylon) became king of Babylon. As part of the festivities at the end of his accession year he released Jehoiachin … out of prison on the 25th day of the 12th month (March 21, 560 BC). From that day until the day he died, he received a regular allowance and had his meals in the king’s presence, that is, he was cared for by the provision of the king of Babylon.
The book ends with a thread of hope. Just as Jeremiah’s prophecies of destruction had come true, now his prophecies of future blessing were beginning. Jehoiachin’s circumstances gave hope to the exiles that God’s promised blessing and restoration for Israel would be fulfilled.
The Lord will always keep His word. He will do exactly what He has promised and He is always righteous. If we believe this, our lives will be characterized by joy in the Lord and a sense of obedience and expectancy, no matter what our circumstances. We, like the remnant of Judah, are awaiting the coming of our King Messiah to fulfill all the good words He has promised.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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