Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 25:12

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, [that] I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

12 14. See end of introductory note to this section. Of these vv., 12 and 14, as well as the latter part of 13, cannot be a genuine part of Jeremiah’s prophecies, to be dated, like the earlier part of the passage, in “the 4th year of Jehoiakim,” but are subsequent insertions when the Book was virtually completed as at present. Jer 25:12 seems constructed out of Jer 29:10 (the assignment of the definite “seventy years” is shewn to be authentic there by the whole tenor of that ch.), where the Heb. “everlasting desolations” (as mg. here) is identical with that in this v. together with Jer 51:26; Jer 51:62. Moreover, (i) all three vv. form a break in the subject-matter, while Jer 25:15 f. give the reason for the punishment not of Babylon ( Jer 25:12-14) but of Judah and the other nations ( Jer 25:11), and (ii) Jer 25:13 implies that the prophecies against foreign nations (chs. 46 51) and in particular against Babylon (chs. 50, 51) were already included in the Book, whereas this last prophecy, if by Jeremiah at all, which may well be doubted (see introd. note there), was not placed in the collection till long after this date (see also on Jer 51:59-64 for date of that portion). Jer 25:14 (absent from LXX) appears to be made up from Jer 27:7 and Jer 50:29, Jer 51:24. Thus from the word “astonishment” in Jer 25:11 we should proceed at once ( Jer 25:13) “and I will bring this book,” continuing direct with Jer 25:15 “For, etc.”

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Perpetual desolations – The ruins of Babylon form its only lasting memorial.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 12. And that nation] haggoi hahu. Dr. Blayney contends that this should be translated his nation, and that hahu is the substantive pronoun used in the genitive case. It is certainly more clear and definite to read, “I will punish the king of Babylon, and HIS nation.”

Will make it perpetual desolations] See Clarke on Isa 13:19, where the fulfilment of this prophecy is distinctly marked.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

When seventy years are accomplished; seventy years accounted from the time that the Jews were carried away in the time of Jeconiah or Jehoiachin, 2Ki 24:15,16. This was fulfilled by Darius the king of Persia, Dan 4:31. Of these seventy Nebuchadnezzar reigned thirty-six, 2Ki 25:27, Evil-merodach thirty-two, and Belshazzar at least two, Dan 8:1. Though God, whose all the creation is, and who is the Lord of all the hosts of his creatures, doth often make use of heathens and other wicked men to punish his own people, yet he will at last punish them too; and ordinarily when he doth punish them, it is with a more severe and grievous destruction than that by which he punisheth his people, Isa 27:7; thus he threatens to make the Chaldeans a perpetual desolation.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished,…. Which were accomplished in the first year of Cyrus: they began with the first year of Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned two years and two months with his father Nabopolassar; after that forty three years by himself; Evilmerodach two years: Neriglissar four years; Belshazzar or Nabonadius seventeen years; and Darius the Median two years; which all make sixty nine years and two months; and if ten months more be added to complete the said seventy years, it will carry the end of them to the first year of Cyrus g. These years are differently reckoned by others; by Spanhemius, from the first of Nebuchadnezzar, or fourth of Jehoiakim, to the destruction of the city under Zedekiah, nineteen years; thence to the death of Nebuchadnezzar, twenty four; then Evilmerodach, two; then the reign of Neriglissar, including some months of Laborosoarchod, five; then the years of Nabonadius, or Belshazzar, seventeen; and from his death, or the taking of Babylon, to the death of Darius the Mede, two years; which make sixty nine, exclusive of the first of Cyrus; and comes to much the same as the former. By James Alting thus; from the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, complete, to his death, twenty six years; Evilmerodach, twenty three; Belshazzar, three; Darius the Mede, eighteen, after the destruction of the Babylonish empire; which seems very wrong; better, by Dr. Lightfoot, thus; Nebuchadnezzar, forty five current; Evilmerodach, twenty three; and Belshazzar, three h. So the Jewish chronicle i:

[that] I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity; the king for his tyranny, and the nation for their idolatry; and both for these and other sins they were guilty of; for, though they did the will of God in carrying the Jews captive, they no doubt in their usage of them exceeded their commission, and were justly punishable for their iniquities. This is not to be understood of the present king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar; but of Nabonadius, or Belshazzar, whom the Lord punished by Cyrus; who appears to have been a very wicked man, and in the excess of not, profaning the vessels of the temple the night he was slain, Da 5:1;

and the land of the Chaldeans; and will make it perpetual desolations; even as other nations had been made by them, Jer 25:9.

g See Prideaux’s Connexion, par. 1. B. 2. p. 130. h Vid. Witsii Exercitat. 11. in Miscel. Sacr. tom. 2. p. 282, 283. i Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28. p. 81.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The overthrow of the king of Babylon’s sovereignty. – Jer 25:12. “But when seventy years are accomplished, I will visit their iniquity upon the king of Babylon and upon that people, saith Jahveh, and upon the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it everlasting desolations. Jer 25:13. And I bring upon that land all my words which I have spoken concerning it, all that is written in this book, that Jeremiah hath prophesied concerning all peoples. Jer 25:14. For of them also shall many nations and great kings serve themselves, and I will requite them according to their doing and according to the work of their hands.”

The punishment or visitation of its iniquity upon Babylon was executed when the city was taken, after a long and difficult siege, by the allied Medes and Persians under Cyrus’ command. This was in b.c. 538, just 68 years after Jerusalem was taken by Nebuchadnezzar for the first time. From the time of the fall of Babylon the sovereignty passed to the Medes and Persians; so that the dominion of Babylon over Judah and the surrounding nations, taken exactly, last 68 years, for which the symbolically significant number 70 is used. The Masoretes have changed the Chet. into ( Keri), because the latter is the usual form and is that which alone elsewhere occurs in Jeremiah, cf. Jer 3:14; Jer 36:31; Jer 49:36.; whereas in Jer 25:9 they have pointed , because this form is found in Isa 56:7; Eze 34:13, and Neh 1:9. – The second half of the Jer 25:13, from “all that is written” onwards, was not, of course, spoken by Jeremiah to the people, but was first added to explain “all my words,” etc., when his prophecies were written down and published.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

The Prophet now, as I have said, shews more clearly why the time of the captivity and exile had been defined, even that the faithful might know that God would not forget his covenant, though he deprived the people of the inheritance of the land. These words were not addressed indiscriminately to the whole body of the people, as we have observed before in other places; but the Prophet intended to consult the benefit of God’s elect, who always retained a concern for true religion; for they must have a hundred times despaired had not this promise been added. This, then, was a special doctrine intended as food for God’s children; for he addressed, as it was apart, the elect and faithful only.

God says also, that at the end of seventy years he would visit the iniquity of the king of Babylon, and of his whole people. We hence learn that Nebuchadnezzar was not called God’s servant because he deserved anything for his service, but because God led him while he was himself unconscious, or not thinking of any such thing, to do a service which neither he nor his subjects understood to be for God. Though, then, the Lord employs the ungodly in executing his judgments, yet their guilt is not on this account lessened; they are still exposed to God’s judgment. And these two things well agree together, — that the devil and all the ungodly serve God, though not of their own accord, but whenever he draws them by his hidden power, and that they are still justly punished, even when they have served God; for though they perform his work, yet not because they are commanded to do so. They are therefore justly liable to punishment, according to what the Prophet teaches us here.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

B. Judgment on Babylon Jer. 25:12-14

TRANSLATION

(12) But it shall come to pass when seventy years are completed I will visit upon the king of Babylon, even upon that nation, their iniquity, even upon the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate forever. (13) And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have spoken concerning it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah prophesied concerning all the nations. (14) For many nations and great kings shall make servants of them, even them; and I will repay them according to their works, and according to the deeds of their hands.

COMMENTS

The Ruler of all nations will not allow Babylon to go unpunished for her crimes against humanity. Babylon is merely a tool used of God for a time and then discarded. Jeremiah was not pro-Babylonian. Here he makes a specific prediction that after seventy years of Babylonian world rule that nation too would be visited by the God of judgment. To visit someones sins upon them is to punish them for their wrong doings. The land of the Chaldeans would become a perpetual desolation (Jer. 25:12). Every word which God had spoken and which Jeremiah had preached and written about Babylon would be fulfilled (Jer. 25:13). God would recompense the Chaldeans for their wicked works. Many kings and great nations would again and again enslave the Chaldeans (Jer. 25:14). Babylon fell first to the Medes and Persians, and then to the Greeks and Parthians.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(12) I will punish the king of Babylon . . .The words are omitted in the LXX. version of the chapter, which differs materially from the Hebrew text, and there are some internal grounds for suspecting it to be a later addition, possibly from the hand of the prophet himself, or, more probably, from that of Baruch as collecting and editing his writings, or of some later transcriber. In Jer. 25:26, as commonly interpreted, there is a prediction of the destruction of the king of Babylon veiled in enigmatic language. That we can understand well enough, if it was meant only for the initiated, but it is not easy to see why the same prophetic discourse should contain both the veiled and the open prediction. On the relation of the LXX. version to the Hebrew, see Introduction.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

JUDGMENT ON BABYLON AND OTHER NATIONS, Jer 25:12-29.

12. When seventy years are accomplished Babylon was captured 538 B.C., just sixty-eight years after the capture of Jerusalem.

Perpetual desolations To none other of the great powers of the ancient world do these words apply so impressively and absolutely. The utter nothingness to which this vast empire has returned is not relieved even by interesting and valuable monumental remains, as in the case of Nineveh, and especially of Egypt.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Babylon Herself Will Eventually Be Subject To YHWH’s Judgment ( Jer 25:12-14 ).

Jer 25:12

“And it will come about, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, the word of YHWH, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and I will make it desolate for ever.”

But once the ‘seventy years’, the period determined by God, was over, the then king of Babylon, together with the whole nation of Babylon would be punished because of their iniquity. And this was the sure word of YHWH. So like the Assyrians before them, having been the ‘rod of YHWH’s anger’ (Isa 10:5), they would be punished because they themselves were utterly sinful. And eventually the whole land of the Chaldeans would be made desolate into the distant future. It would nevermore attain its former glory. As with much prophecy the timing for the last part (‘I will make it desolate for ever’) is vague (it will happen some time). It is the fact that is important.

That the mighty Babylonian empire would only last for around seventy years must have seemed inconceivable at the time to anyone who had no divine help in understanding the situation. The Assyrian empire had lasted far longer. But Jeremiah was to be proved correct.

Jer 25:13

“And I will bring on that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, (even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations).”

The doom of Babylon had been already proclaimed by Isaiah long before (e.g. Isaiah 13-14), because of its arrogant pride. To Isaiah Babylon had symbolised the world in rebellion against God from the time of Babel onwards and he had prophesied its utter ruin. The note in brackets, referring to prophecies of Jeremiah made around this time (the fourth year of Jehoiakim; Jer 45:1) and later recorded in his book (e.g. chapter 50), was probably added by his amanuensis. (LXX actually introduces chapters 46-51 around this point).

Jer 25:14

“For many nations and great kings will make bondmen of them, even of them, and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.”

For Babylon also would be caught up in the tide of history and many great nations and great kings would arise and would bring Babylonia into bondage, commencing with Cyrus the Persian who would later be followed by Alexander the Great. Babylon too would be recompensed for their behaviour and doings, and also for their idolatry (compare Isa 47:11-15).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

The Judgment on the Kingdoms

v. 12. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, namely, from the time of the first deportation to Babylon, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, visiting their guilt upon them and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations, the enemies thus being punished in turn, even as it happened when the Medes and Persians under the command of Cyrus overthrew the Babylonian empire.

v. 13. And I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, carrying out His threats upon the entire country, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations, for it was in this year that Jeremiah was, for the first time, told to write all his prophecies against the various foreign nations in a book, so that this remark was inserted when the collection was made.

v. 14. For many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of them also, that is, the Chaldeans themselves would, in turn, become servants to others, so that their masters would exact the service of vassals from them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the works of their own hands. This is further emphasized by the picture of the Lord’s cup of fury.

v. 15. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel unto me, Take the wine-cup of this fury at My hand, a symbol of stupefying judgments, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink it, a symbolical action which could be used to illustrate an important truth.

v. 16. And they shall drink and be moved, so that they would stagger and reel, and be mad, stunned and stupefied with the intoxicating effects of the liquid consumed, because of the sword that I will send among them, that is, the war which the Lord intended to bring upon these nations would be so severe, so horrible, that people would be stupefied by its terrors and perish in helpless confusion.

v. 17. Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, all this in the vision which was vouchsafed him, and made all the nations to drink unto whom the Lord had sent me, namely, by making an open announcement of this intention on the part of Jehovah:

v. 18. to wit, Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, these two heading the list as the chief offenders against the Lord of the covenant, and the kings thereof and the princes thereof, to make them a desolation, an astonishment, an hissing, and a curse, objects of mockery and imprecations, as it is this day;

v. 19. Pharaoh, king of Egypt, upon whom the Jews had chiefly relied, and his servants and his princes and all his people,

v. 20. and all the mingled people, small tribes of a mixed population near the borders of Egypt and elsewhere, and all the kings of the land of Uz, in Northwestern Arabia, near the borders of Idumea and Egypt, and all the kings of the land of the Philistines, of the various Philistine city-states, and Ashkelon, and Azzah, or Gazah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ash-dod, this city being very much reduced in size and influence on account of the Egyptian oppression, Gath, the fifth of the ancient city-states, not being mentioned, probably because it no longer was a separate capital,

v. 21. Edom, south of the Dead Sea, and Moab, east of the Dead Sea, and the children of Anunon, tribes to the northeast of Moab,

v. 22. and all the kings of Tyrus, and all the kings of Zidon, the representative cities of Phenicia on the Mediterranean Sea, and the kings of the isles which are beyond the sea, all the distant countries along the shores of the Mediterranean and the nations on its islands,

v. 23. Dedan, north of Arabia, and Tema, an Arabian city not far from Damascus, and Buz, another city and tribe in this neighborhood, and all that are in the utmost corners, the entire section of Arabia bordering on Palestine,

v. 24. and all the kings of Arabia, and all the kings of the mingled people that dwell in the desert, where tribes no longer were of pure blood,

v. 25. and all the kings of Zimri, probably a country toward the Euphrates, and all the kings of Elam, to the east of the Tigris, used for Persia in general, and all the kings of the Medes,

v. 26. and all the kings of the North, far and near, a general expression referring to all the empires in the valleys of the Euphrates and the Tigris and beyond, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth, and the king of Sheshach, shall drink after them, Babylon itself being designated by this term and included in the list of those who were to be stunned by the wine of God’s avenging fury.

v. 27. Therefore thou shall say unto them, Thus salth the Lord of hosts, whose majesty and power would here find expression, the God of Israel, Drink ye, namely, the cup of the Lord’s fierce anger, and be drunken, and spue, vomiting as a result of their excessive drinking, and fall, and rise no more, being completely overcome by the powerful potion, because of the sword which I will send among you.

v. 28. And it shall be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, unwilling to let His punishment strike them, then shalt thou say unto them. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Ye shall certainly drink, compelled to endure the destruction which had been resolved upon in their case.

v. 29. For, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city which is called by My name, revealed in the Word which had been proclaimed by His prophets from the early days, Jerusalem being the center of the true worship, and should ye be utterly unpunished? Should the Lord treat the others as innocent and forbear wreaking His vengeance upon them, if He did not spare the city which He had chosen as the place of His Sanctuary? Ye shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of hosts. His patience was now exhausted, and He intended to include all His enemies in the punishment which was about to go forth.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

Here is a gracious promise, (and which was most faithfully fulfilled in the season) given with a view to support the minds of the faithful, during their long captivity. I pray the Reader to mark it down, and not overlook it, in order to keep in remembrance the long-suffering of God. And I beg of him also, at the same time to keep, as steadily in remembrance the cause, even God’s covenant., See Dan 9:1-2 ; Psa 89:30-35 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Jer 25:12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, [that] I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

Ver. 12. I will punish the King of Babylon. ] As had been previoulsy threatened, Isa 13:19-22 ; Isa 14:21-23 ; Isa 21:2-10 ; Isa 47:5 ; Isa 47:8-9 and was accomplished. Dan 5:25-28 ; Dan 5:30

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 25:12-14

12’Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,’ declares the LORD, ‘for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. 13I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 14(For many nations and great kings will make slaves of them, even them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.)’

Jer 25:12-14 Jeremiah records YHWH’s commitment to judging Babylon. The same phrase, an everlasting desolation from Jer 25:9 is now used of the ones who made Palestine desolate.

Notice that Jeremiah alludes to his own book (i.e., this book), but notice Jeremiah is mentioned by name, which implies Baruch (cf. Jer 36:4; Jer 36:29; Jer 36:32) or another editor (i.e., Ezra). The destruction and judgment of Neo-Babylon is predicted and described in chapter 51.

Jer 25:13 against all the nations Several of the Prophets have chapters about YHWH’s judgment of the nations. These nations probably never heard these messages. They are written to show the universal nature of Israel’s God. All history is before Him. He is not like the dead, blind, deaf idols; He acts in His world.

The NJB entitles Jer 25:13-38 Introduction to the Prophecies Against the Nations. The LXX moves these prophecies from chapters 46-51 in the MT to begin at chapter 25 in the Septuagint.

Jer 25:14 This verse is in parentheses in the NASB, NKJV, which denotes the comments of an editor or an aside from Baruch.

I will recompense them according to their deeds See full notes at Jer 17:10. We reap what we sow, often in kind!

Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley

when. No necessary sequence with Jer 25:11. Jer 25:12 commences a fresh paragraph about the seventy years.

punish = visit upon, exactly seventy years later.

iniquity. Hebrew. ‘avah. App-44.

it. Hebrew masculine = the People rather than the land.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

Jer 25:12-14

Jer 25:12-14

And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith Jehovah, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it desolate for ever. And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations. For many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them, even of them; and I will recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the work of their hands.

What an impossible prophecy this appeared to be as viewed by the people of Jeremiah’s generation! No great power of human history had ever been terminated so quickly after reaching their zenith; but it came to pass exactly as the prophet foretold.

Many nations and great kings shall make bondmen of them…

(Jer 25:14). These were the Medes and Persians who subjugated Babylonia under Cyrus in 539 B.C.

Judgment on Babylon Jer 25:12-14

The Ruler of all nations will not allow Babylon to go unpunished for her crimes against humanity. Babylon is merely a tool used of God for a time and then discarded. Jeremiah was not pro-Babylonian. Here he makes a specific prediction that after seventy years of Babylonian world rule that nation too would be visited by the God of judgment. To visit someones sins upon them is to punish them for their wrong doings. The land of the Chaldeans would become a perpetual desolation (Jer 25:12). Every word which God had spoken and which Jeremiah had preached and written about Babylon would be fulfilled (Jer 25:13). God would recompense the Chaldeans for their wicked works. Many kings and great nations would again and again enslave the Chaldeans (Jer 25:14). Babylon fell first to the Medes and Persians, and then to the Greeks and Parthians.

Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary

when: Jer 29:10, 2Ki 24:1, Ezr 1:1, Ezr 1:2, Dan 9:2

that I: Jer 25:14, Jer 50:1 – Jer 51:64, Deu 32:35-42, Isa 13:1 – Isa 14:32, Isa 21:1-17, Isa 46:1 – Isa 47:15, Dan 5:1-31, Hab 2:1-20, Rev 18:1-24

punish: Heb. visit upon, see note on Jer 23:2

perpetual: Jer 50:3, Jer 50:13, Jer 50:23, Jer 50:39, Jer 50:40, Jer 50:45, Jer 51:25, Jer 51:26, Jer 51:62-64, Isa 13:19, Isa 14:23, Isa 15:6, Isa 20:1-6, Isa 47:1, Eze 35:9

Reciprocal: Deu 30:7 – General 2Ch 36:21 – To fulfil 2Ch 36:22 – that the word Psa 137:8 – who art Isa 33:1 – when thou shalt cease Jer 25:11 – seventy Jer 25:26 – drink Jer 25:34 – the days of your Jer 25:38 – desolate Jer 27:7 – until Jer 27:22 – until Jer 30:16 – General Jer 50:10 – Chaldea Jer 50:12 – a wilderness Jer 51:37 – become Jer 51:47 – do judgment upon Eze 5:13 – shall mine Eze 29:11 – forty Dan 5:26 – God Hab 2:3 – but Hab 3:2 – in the Zec 1:12 – thou hast Zec 10:3 – punished

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 25:12. Babylon was to be punished for her wicked attitude towards God’s people. He used various heathen men and nations to carry out, his plans, but never would permit them to take any personal satisfaction out of it. Babylon was the name of the kingdom and the Chaldeans were a special group of citizens in that kingdom. The historical fulfillment of this overthrow of Babylon is quoted with the comments on Isa 13:1 in volume 3 of this Commentary.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jer 25:12-14. When seventy years are accomplished, I will punish the king of Babylon God often punishes the persons whom he makes instruments of his vengeance upon others for those very things which they did by his appointment, because their intention was merely to carry on their own ambitious and cruel purposes, and not at all to fulfil Gods will, or advance his glory. So that the evil they did was altogether their own, and the good that was brought out of it was to be ascribed solely to God. Lowth. See notes on Isa 10:5-7. And that nation for their iniquity For their pride, ambition, luxury, tyranny, and cruelty, as well as for their various idolatries, which, after Daniels interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dreams, and the miracles wrought by the God of Israel, in favour of Shadrach and his companions, not to mention the testimony borne to the true religion by many other pious Jews, were greatly aggravated, and without all excuse. And the land of the Chaldeans, and make it perpetual desolations Chaldee was not reduced to desolation immediately upon the taking of Babylon, and the conquest of the country by the Medes and Persians, but its power was then broken, and the sources of its prosperity greatly diminished, and by degrees the country was turned into a solitude. Of the steps whereby this was effected, see notes on Isa 13:19-22, and Jer 50:40. All that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all nations Those prophecies are meant which are to be found all together from chap. 46. to chap. 51. inclusively; and which the LXX. have introduced in this place. For many nations, &c., shall serve themselves of them also Namely, the nations and kings who were confederates with Cyrus. Houbigant renders the clause, For powerful people, and mighty kings, shall reduce even those nations to servitude, and so, &c. And Blaney to nearly the same sense, thus: For of them, even of these, shall many nations and great kings exact service; and I will render, &c.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

25:12 And it shall come to pass, when {i} seventy years are accomplished, [that] I will punish {k} the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.

(i) This revelation was for the confirmation of his prophecy because he told them of the time that they would enter and remain in captivity, 2Ch 36:22, Ezr 1:1, Jer 29:10, Dan 9:2 .

(k) For seeing the judgment began at his own house, the enemies must be punished most grievously, Eze 9:6, 1Pe 4:17 .

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

After 70 years, the Lord promised to punish the king of Babylon and his nation for their sins and make their land a desolation forever (cf. Habakkuk 1-2). Daniel was reading this passage or the one in Jer 29:10, when God gave him the prophecy of the seventy weeks (sevens) of years yet future (Dan 9:2). Babylon fell in 539 B.C. when Cyrus the Persian captured and overthrew it. [Note: Some scholars believe that Cyrus the Persian was another name for Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:30-31; 6:28).] It did not become a complete desolation, however, which has led literal interpreters to conclude that a future destruction of Babylon will fulfill this prophecy (Rev 16:19; Rev 17:1 to Rev 19:10). Some literal interpreters believe that this requires the rebuilding of the city of Babylon. Most believe it only requires the future fall of the nation. [Note: See my comments on chapters 50-51, and Chisholm, "A Theology . . .," pp. 349-50, for an excursus on Jeremiah’s prophecy of seventy years.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)