CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
Jeremiah 50
Chapter 50 of 52
Chapter Overview
What happens in Jeremiah 50
This chapter begins a massive two-chapter prophecy against Babylon, the world superpower that destroyed Jerusalem. God declares that Babylon itself will be conquered and its gods shattered. At the same time, God promises to bring Israel and Judah home from exile and forgive their sins. Babylon's cruelty will be repaid in full.
Scripture
Jeremiah 50
Babylon Will Fall and Israel Will Return
Study note
Even though God used Babylon as his instrument to punish Israel and Judah, Babylon itself would be held accountable for its cruelty. Bel (also called Marduk) and Merodach were Babylon's chief gods, and they would be shattered. A nation from the north would defeat Babylon, just as Babylon had come from the north against Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people of Israel and Judah would weep together as they searched for the road back to Zion, seeking to renew their covenant with God. They had been like lost sheep whose shepherds (leaders) had led them astray.
1 Here is the word the Lord gave through Jeremiah the prophet. It is about the great city of Babylon and the land of its people. The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet.
2 "Tell every nation! Shout the news! Raise a flag for everyone to see, and announce it loud and clear! Do not hold anything back! Say, 'Babylon has been conquered! The god Bel has been humiliated! The god Marduk has been shattered! Babylon's idols are disgraced, and its images are smashed to bits.'" Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.
3 "A nation from the north is going to attack Babylon and turn its land into a deserted wasteland. No one will live there anymore. Both the people and the animals will flee the country." For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast.
4 "When that time comes, says the Lord, the people of Israel and the people of Judah will come back together. They will weep as they go searching for the Lord their God." In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go, and seek the LORD their God.
5 "They will ask for directions to Zion and head straight for it. They will come and bind themselves to the Lord with a forever-lasting covenant that will never be broken or forgotten." They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.
6 "My people have been like a flock of lost sheep. Their own shepherds led them the wrong way and let them wander off into the hills. They drifted from one mountain to the next and completely forgot where their home was." My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace.
7 "Everyone who found them gobbled them up. Their enemies said, 'This is not our fault. They brought this on themselves by sinning against the Lord -- the Lord who should have been their safe resting place, the Lord their ancestors counted on.'" All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the LORD, the habitation of justice, even the LORD, the hope of their fathers.
8 "Get out of Babylon now! Leave the land of the Babylonians! Be like the lead goats that march boldly out in front of the flock." Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks.
9 "I am going to gather together a group of powerful nations from the north and send them against Babylon. They will form their battle lines, and Babylon will be captured from the north. Their arrows will fly like expert warriors who never miss their target." For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.
10 "The land of Babylonia will be stripped clean of everything. Everyone who comes to take its wealth will get more than they can carry, says the Lord." And Chaldea shall be a spoil: all that spoil her shall be satisfied, saith the LORD.
Babylon's Punishment for Cruelty
Study note
God accused Babylon of rejoicing over the destruction of his people. They celebrated and grew fat like well-fed cattle while plundering God's heritage. But now Babylon's mother country would be disgraced, becoming the least of nations -- a desert wasteland. Israel is described as a scattered sheep attacked first by the king of Assyria and then by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. God promised to punish Babylon just as he had punished Assyria, and to bring Israel back to its rich pastures on Mount Carmel, Bashan, and the hills of Ephraim. In those days, Israel's sins would be searched for and not found, because God would forgive them.
11 "You celebrated and threw a party, you people who ransacked my special nation. You jumped around like a young cow in a meadow and bellowed with satisfaction like a herd of bulls." Because ye were glad, because ye rejoiced, O ye destroyers of mine heritage, because ye are grown fat as the heifer at grass, and bellow as bulls;
12 "Your motherland will be deeply ashamed. The nation that gave you life will be disgraced. Babylon will become the lowest and least important of all nations -- nothing but a dry, barren desert." Your mother shall be sore confounded; she that bare you shall be ashamed: behold, the hindermost of the nations shall be a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 "Because of the Lord's fury, not a soul will live there. It will be totally deserted. Everyone who passes through Babylon will be stunned and horrified by the extent of its devastation." Because of the wrath of the LORD it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
14 "Line up for battle all around Babylon, every archer in the army! Shoot your arrows at it! Do not save any of your ammunition, because Babylon has committed terrible sins against the Lord." Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the LORD.
15 "Shout your war cry from every side of the city! Babylon has given up. Its defense towers have toppled. Its walls are torn apart. This is the Lord getting even. Take your revenge on Babylon. Do to it exactly what it did to everyone else." Shout against her round about: she hath given her hand: her foundations are fallen, her walls are thrown down: for it is the vengeance of the LORD: take vengeance upon her; as she hath done, do unto her.
16 "Wipe out the farmers in Babylon. Wipe out the harvesters at harvest time. Every foreign worker will turn and run back to their own people. Every one of them will escape to their own homeland because of the enemy's deadly sword." Cut off the sower from Babylon, and him that handleth the sickle in the time of harvest: for fear of the oppressing sword they shall turn every one to his people, and they shall flee every one to his own land.
17 "Israel has been like a scattered flock of sheep hunted by lions. First the king of Assyria chewed them up. Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon cracked their bones apart." Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him away: first the king of Assyria hath devoured him; and last this Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon hath broken his bones.
18 "So the Lord of Armies, Israel's God, says this. I will punish Babylon's king and his land. I already punished the king of Assyria." Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will punish the king of Babylon and his land, as I have punished the king of Assyria.
19 "Then I will bring Israel back to its own green pastures. It will feed on the fields of Carmel and Bashan and be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead." And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.
20 "When that time comes, says the Lord, people will search for Israel's guilt, but there will not be any to find. They will look for Judah's sins, but they will not find any either. I will completely forgive the survivors I have kept alive." In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
The Hammer of the Earth Is Broken
Study note
Babylon was called 'the hammer of the whole earth' because of its power to crush nations. But God had set a trap for Babylon, and it was caught without even knowing it. God opened his armory and brought out his weapons of judgment. The attackers would come from far away, open Babylon's storehouses, pile up its goods like heaps of grain, and destroy it completely. God declared himself personally opposed to Babylon's pride, and its young men and warriors would fall.
21 "Attack the land of Merathaim and the people of Pekod! Chase them down and completely destroy them. Follow every order I have given you. This is the Lord's command." Go up against the land of Merathaim, even against it, and against the inhabitants of Pekod: waste and utterly destroy after them, saith the LORD, and do according to all that I have commanded thee.
22 "Listen to the booming sounds of battle across the land -- the sounds of huge destruction!" A sound of battle is in the land, and of great destruction.
23 "The mighty hammer that once pounded the whole earth has itself been broken and shattered! Look at how Babylon has become a sight that horrifies every nation!" How is the hammer of the whole earth cut asunder and broken! how is Babylon become a desolation among the nations!
24 "Babylon, I set a trap for you, and you walked right into it without even realizing it. You were caught and captured because you picked a fight with the Lord." I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware: thou art found, and also caught, because thou hast striven against the LORD.
25 "The Lord has swung open the doors of his armory and pulled out his weapons of fury. The Lord, the Lord of Armies, has a big job to finish in the land of Babylonia." The LORD hath opened his armoury, and hath brought forth the weapons of his indignation: for this is the work of the Lord GOD of hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 "Invade Babylon from every direction! Break open its storage buildings! Stack up its goods like piles of grain and completely destroy everything. Leave nothing behind." Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses: cast her up as heaps, and destroy her utterly: let nothing of her be left.
27 "Slaughter all of Babylon's young bulls. Send them to the butcher. What a terrible day for them, because their time of punishment has finally arrived." Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.
28 "Hear the voices of people fleeing and escaping from Babylon! They are rushing to announce in Zion that the Lord our God has taken his revenge -- his payback for what was done to his temple." The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance of his temple.
29 "Call every archer to come fight against Babylon! Surround the city, all who can draw a bow! Do not let anyone get away! Pay Babylon back for what it did. Give it the same treatment it gave to others. It acted with outrageous arrogance against the Lord, the Holy One of Israel." Call together the archers against Babylon: all ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about; let none thereof escape: recompense her according to her work; according to all that she hath done, do unto her: for she hath been proud against the LORD, against the Holy One of Israel.
30 "Therefore Babylon's young men will fall dead in its streets. Every one of its soldiers will be silenced on that day, says the Lord." Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets, and all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD.
31 "I am coming after you, you arrogant nation. The Lord, the Lord of Armies, has spoken. Your day of reckoning has arrived -- the time for me to deal with you." Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud, saith the Lord GOD of hosts: for thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.
32 "That proud nation will stumble and crash to the ground, and no one will be there to pick it back up. I will set its cities on fire, and the flames will devour everything nearby." And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.
God Champions Israel's Cause
Study note
Israel and Judah had been oppressed together, held captive by those who refused to release them. But their Redeemer was strong -- the Lord of Armies. He would plead their case and bring rest to their land while bringing trouble to Babylon. God pronounced a sword against Babylon's officials, wise men, warriors, horses, chariots, treasures, and even their water supply. Because Babylon was a land of idols, it would become a haunted wasteland inhabited only by wild creatures, like Sodom and Gomorrah.
33 The Lord of Armies says: "The people of Israel and Judah are being oppressed together. Everyone who captured them has a tight grip on them and will not let them go." Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go.
34 "But their Rescuer is powerful. His name is the Lord of Armies. He will fight hard for their cause so that he can bring peace back to the land of Israel while bringing chaos to the people of Babylon." Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon.
35 "A sword is coming against Babylon," says the Lord. "It will strike the people, the leaders, and the so-called wise men!" A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise men.
36 "A sword is coming against its fortune-tellers, and they will be shown to be fools! A sword is coming against its soldiers, and they will shake with terror!" A sword is upon the liars; and they shall dote: a sword is upon her mighty men; and they shall be dismayed.
37 "A sword is coming against its horses and chariots, and against all the hired foreign troops -- they will become weak and helpless! A sword is coming against its treasure vaults, and they will be looted!" A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
38 "A terrible drought will dry up its rivers and waterways! This will happen because Babylon is a land full of idols. Its people have gone crazy worshiping their scary false gods." A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.
39 "After that, only desert creatures and wild dogs will make their home there, and owls will nest in its ruins. No human being will ever live there again. It will stay empty from one generation to the next, forever." Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation.
40 "Just as God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and the nearby towns, says the Lord, no person will ever settle there again. Not a single soul will call it home." As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the LORD; so shall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.
A Great Nation Rises Against Babylon
Study note
God described the army that would attack Babylon: a great nation and many kings from the ends of the earth. They would carry bows and spears, showing no mercy, their voices roaring like the sea. When the king of Babylon heard about them, his hands would go weak with fear. God compared himself to a lion attacking from the Jordan's thickets -- no shepherd (ruler) could stand against him. The whole earth would shake at the news of Babylon's capture.
41 "Look! A massive army is marching from the north. A great nation and many kings are being rallied from the farthest corners of the earth." Behold, a people shall come from the north, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
42 "They carry bows and spears. They are vicious and show no mercy. Their battle cry sounds like the roar of the ocean as they ride their horses, arranged in perfect formation against you, city of Babylon." They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not shew mercy: their voice shall roar like the sea, and they shall ride upon horses, every one put in array, like a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Babylon.
43 "The king of Babylon has gotten word about them, and his hands go limp. Fear has seized him. He is in agony, writhing like a woman in labor." The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble: anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a woman in travail.
44 "Like a lion bursting out of the thick brush along the Jordan to attack a strong flock, I will suddenly drive them out of Babylon. Who is the chosen leader I will appoint for this task? After all, who compares with me? Who can confront me? What ruler dares to stand in my way?" Behold, he shall come up like a lion from the swelling of Jordan unto the habitation of the strong: but I will make them suddenly run away from her: and who is a chosen man, that I may appoint over her? for who is like me? and who will appoint me the time? and who is that shepherd that will stand before me?
45 "So hear the plans the Lord has made against Babylon. Hear what he has chosen to do to the land of the Babylonians. Even the smallest enemy soldiers will drag them off. Their own land will be shocked at what happened to them." Therefore hear ye the counsel of the LORD, that he hath taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he hath purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out: surely he shall make their habitation desolate with them.
46 "When Babylon falls, the crash will be so loud that the entire earth trembles. The sound of its collapse will echo through every nation." At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations.
Key Themes
Themes in Jeremiah 50
Babylon judged by the same standard it enforcedGod as israel's RedeemerReturn from exileThe sins of Babylon repaidComplete forgiveness for Israel
Apply This Today
Living Jeremiah 50
The same Babylon that God used as His instrument of judgment would itself be judged. No nation or power is exempt from accountability before God. At the same time, God promises to forgive Israel so completely that their sin will be searched for and not found. God's judgment on oppressors and His mercy on the repentant work together.
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