Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 51:5
For Israel [hath] not [been] forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
5. forsaken ] lit. widowed, cp. Isa 54:4. The word is masculine, contrary to the figure (e.g. Jer 2:2) where Israel is the wife, and Jehovah the husband.
though their land, etc.] i.e. in spite of the guilt of the people of Jehovah. The Heb. conjunction, however, is better rendered for, and “their land” understood to be Chaldaea. In that case we should (with Co.) transpose the two parts of the v.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Jer 51:5
For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God.
Israel and Judah not forsaken
You would think, according to the teaching of some, that Christ s members kept lopping off something like the limbs of lobsters, and that new ones were constantly growing. There is nothing in Scripture to warrant such a notion as that. You remember Mr. Bunyans parable of a child who is in a room, and a stranger comes in, and says, Come hither, child, I will cut off thy finger. No, says the child. Yes, but I will; I will take off your little finger. Here is a knife, I will cut off your little finger. No, again says the child, and begins to cry. Oh, but, says the stranger, that is a poor little finger that you have. I will cut it off and I will buy you a gold finger, such a brave gold finger. I will put it on your hand instead of your little finger. Oh, says the child, but it would not be my finger; I cannot lose my little finger. Whereupon Mr. Bunyan says, If Christ could have better people than those He has, He would not make the change, for, saith He, they are not My people; they are not a part of My own living self. So the Lord Jesus would not change you for a golden saint, for one much better than you axe. That new finger would not be what the Father gave him, nor what He bought with His precious blood. Thou shalt not be forgotten of Me, means that God will never cease to love His servants. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Gods people not forgotten or forsaken
Before the siege of Paris Gustave Dore had nearly finished one of his greatest paintings, one of the finest pictures which has ever been produced. Having to fly from the city, on a sudden, as the Germans were coming up, he hid his picture in a cellar, down under a heap of rubbish. When the siege was over, Dore came back to Paris, and of course when he returned he had forgotten all about his picture, had he not? Not he; he had taken too much trouble with it to forget it. He knew the value of it, and he knew where he had put it. He did not have to go up and down the house and say to the people, Do you know where my picture is? No! he never forgot where he had himself put it, so he found it where it was hidden, brought it out to the light of day, and finished it. Now, in a far higher sense than that, God will have respect unto the works of His own hands. The very bodies of the saints, though they were hidden away for a while in the rubbish of the earth, He will fetch out, and He will complete the works of grace which He has begun upon each one of them. The Lord hath formed us to be His servants, we shall not be forgotten of Him. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. For Israel hath not been forsaken] God still continued his prophets among them; he had never cast them wholly off. Even in the midst of wrath – highly deserved and inflicted punishment, he has remembered mercy; and is now about to crown what he has done by restoring them to their own land. I conceive asham, which we translate sin, as rather signifying punishment, which meaning it often has.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, not, utterly forsaken, for in a sense they were forsaken as to some gradual manifestations of Gods love to them, but Judah and Israel were not left as a widow, or were not divorced from God. The word translated sin signifies a most heinous sinning, or desolation, and the best interpreters judge that sin here signifieth the punishment of sin. God hath not forsaken the Jews utterly, though as they were formerly filled with grievous sins, so they be now filled with grievous judgments because of their sins.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. forsakenas a widow(Hebrew). Israel is not severed from her husband, Jehovah (Isa54:5-7), by a perpetual divorce.
though . . . sinthoughthe land of Israel has been filled with sin, that is, with thepunishment of their sin, devastation. But, as the Hebrewmeans “for,” or “and therefore,” not “though,”translate, “and therefore their (the Chaldeans’) land has beenfilled with (the penal consequences of) their sin” [GROTIUS].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For Israel [hath] not [been] forsaken, nor Judah of his God,
of the Lord of hosts,…. That is, not totally and finally; for though they might seem to be forsaken, when carried captive by their enemies, yet they were not in such sense as a woman is deprived of her husband when dead, and she is become a widow, as the word d used may signify; or when divorced from him; or as children are deprived of their parents, and become orphans; but so it was not with Israel; for thought they were under the frowns of Providence, and the resentment of God they had sinned against, yet the relation between them still subsisted; he was their covenant God and Father, their husband and protector, and who would vindicate them, and avenge them on their enemies:
though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel; which was the reason why they were carried captive, and so seemed to be forsaken of God; or though their land was filled with punishment, with devastation and destruction, yet nevertheless God would appear for them, and restore that and them unto it; or rather this is to be understood of the land of the Chaldeans, as it is by Jarchi and Kimchi; and be rendered, “for their land is filled with [punishment] for sin, from”, or “by”, or “because of the Holy One of Israel” e; by which it appears, that the people of God were not forsaken by him, and were not without a patron and defender of them; since it was a plain case that the land of the Chaldeans was filled with the punishment of the sword and other calamities by the Holy One of Israel, because of the sins they had committed against him, and the injuries they had done to his people. So the Targum,
“for their land is filled with, (punishment for) the sins of murder, by the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
d “viduus, [sive] viduatus”, Vatablus, Calvin, Montanus; “ut vidua”, Pagninus; “orbus”, Schmidt. e “quia terra illorum repleta est delicto, [sive] reatu, [vel] poena”, Grotius; so some in Gataker. “a Sancto Israelis”, Montanus, Schmidt; “propter Sanctum Israelis”, Vatablus, Calvin, Cocceius; so Ben Melech.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Because of the righteousness of Israel, Babylon is to be irretrievably destroyed. Jer 51:5. “For Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of Jahveh of hosts; but their land is full of guilt because of the Holy One of Israel. Jer 51:6. Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save ye every one his life: do not perish for her iniquity; because it is a time of vengeance for Jahveh; He renders to her what she has committed. Jer 51:7. Babylon [was] a golden cup in the hand of Jahveh, that intoxicated all the earth. Nations have drunk of her wine, therefore nations are mad. Jer 51:8. Babylon has fallen suddenly and been broken: howl over her: take balsam for her pain; perhaps she may be healed. Jer 51:9. ‘We have tried to heal Babylon, but she is not healed. Leave her, and let us go each one to his own land; for her judgment reaches unto heaven, and is lifted up to the clouds.’ Jer 51:10. Jahveh hath brought forth our righteousnesses; come, and let us declare in Zion the doing of Jahveh our God. Jer 51:11. Sharpen the arrow, fill the shields: Jahveh hath roused the spirit of the kings of Media; for His counsel is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of Jahveh, the vengeance of His temple. Jer 51:12. Against the walls of Babylon raise a standard; strengthen the watch, set watchmen, prepare the ambushes: for Jahveh hath both devised and done what He spake against the inhabitants of Babylon. Jer 51:13. O thou that dwellest upon many waters, rich in treasures, thine end hath sworn by Himself, ‘Surely I have filled thee with men, as [with] the locust; and they shall raise a shout of joy against thee.'” The offence of Babylon against the Holy One of Israel demands its destruction. In Jer 51:5, two reasons are given for God’s determination to destroy Babylon. The Lord is induced to this (1) by His relation to Israel and Judah, whom Babylon will not let go; (2) by the grave offence of Babylon. Israel is , “not widowed,” forsaken by his God; i.e., Jahveh, the God of hosts, has not rejected His people for ever, so as not to trouble Himself any more about them; cf. Isa 50:1; Isa 54:4. “Their land” – the land of the Chaldeans – “is full of guilt before the Holy One of Israel,” partly through their relation to Israel (Jer 50:21), partly through their idolatry (Isa 50:2, 38). does not mean here “on the side of,” but “on account of,” because they do not acknowledge Jahveh as the Holy One of Israel.
Jer 51:6 In order to escape the punishment that is to fall on the guilt-laden city, the Israelites living in Babylon must flee to save their lives; cf. Jer 50:8, and on the mode of expression, Jer 48:6. “Be not destroyed , for her iniquity,” ( of price), not “in her guilt” = punishment for sin (Graf), or “through her guilt” (Ngelsbach). Both of these last two views are against the context; for the idea is, that Israel must flee to save his life, and that he too may not atone for the guilt of Babylon. On the expression, “It is a time of vengeance,” etc., cf. Jer 50:15, Isa 34:8. , as in Isa 59:18; Isa 66:6. , prop. accomplishment, actual proof, is used both of human and divine doing and working, of human misdeeds and divine recompense. is used emphatically.
Jer 51:7-10 Babylon, certainly, in its former power and greatness, was a golden goblet, by means of which Jahveh presented to the nations the wine of His wrath, and intoxicated them; but now it is fallen, and broken without remedy. Isa 21:9 finds an echo in the expression, “Babylon is fallen.” The figure of the cup refers us back to Jer 25:15., where, however, it is applied in a different way. The cup is said to be of gold, in order to point out the splendour and glory of Nebuchadnezzar’s dominion. “In the hand of Jahveh,” i.e., used by Him as His instrument for pouring out His wrath to the nations. But Babylon has suddenly fallen and been broken in pieces. At this point Jeremiah drops the figure of the cup, for a golden cup does not break when it falls. The fall is so terrible, that the nations in Babylon are summoned to participate in the lamentation, and to lend their aid in repairing her injuries. But they answer that their attempts to heal her are fruitless. (On , cf. Jer 46:11 and Jer 8:22.) The terrible and irreparable character of the fall is thus expressed in a dramatic manner. We must neither think of the allies and mercenaries as those who are addressed (Schnurrer, Rosenmller, Maurer, Hitzig), nor merely the Israelites who had been delivered from Babylon (Umbreit). The latter view is opposed by the words which follow, “Let every one go to his own country;” this points to men out of different lands. And the former assumption is opposed by the consideration that not merely the mercenaries, but also the allies are to be viewed as fallen and ruined together with Babylon, and that Babylon, which had subdued all the nations, has no allies, according to the general way in which the prophet views these things. Those addressed are rather the nations that had been vanquished by Babylon and detained in the city, of which Israel was one. Inasmuch as these were the servants of Babylon, and as such bound to pay her service, they are to heal Babylon; and because the attempts to heal her prove fruitless, they are to leave the ruined city. They answer this summons by the resolve, “We will go every one to his own land;” cf. Jer 50:8, Jer 50:16. The motive for this resolution, “for her guilt reaches up to heaven,” certainly shows that it is Israelites who are speaking, because it is only they who form their opinions in such a way; but they speak in the name of all the strangers who are in Babylon. is the matter upon which judgment is passed, i.e., the transgression, the guilt, analogous to , Eze 7:23, and , Deu 19:6; Deu 21:22; it does not mean the punishment adjudged, of which we cannot say that it reaches up to heaven. On this expression, cf. Psa 57:11; Psa 108:5. Through the fall of Babylon, the Lord has made manifest the righteousness of Israel; the redeemed ones are to proclaim this in Zion. does not mean “righteous acts” (Jdg 5:11), but proofs of the righteousness of Israel as opposed to Babylon, which righteousness Babylon, through tyrannical oppression of the people that had been delivered up to it merely for chastisement, has failed to perceive, and which, so long as the Lord did not take His people to Himself again in a visible manner, was hidden from the world; cf. Psa 37:6.
Jer 51:11-12 The instruments which the Lord employs in bringing about the fall of Babylon are the kings of the Medes, i.e., the provincial governors, or heads of the separate provinces into which the Medes in ancient times were divided, until, after revolting from the Assyrians in the year 714 b.c., they put themselves under a common head, in order to assert their independence, and chose Dejokes as their monarch. See Speigel’s Ern (1863, S. 308ff.), and Delitzsch on Isa 13:17, who rightly remarks that in Isa 13:17, as well as here, is a general designation for the Aryan tribes of Iran, taken from the most important and influential nation. In Jer 21:2, Isaiah mentions Elam in the first series, along with Media, as a conqueror of Babylon; and the Babylonian kingdom was destroyed by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian. But the Persians are first named in the Old Testament by Ezekiel and Daniel, while the name “Elam” as a province of the Persian kingdom is gradually lost, from the times of Cyrus onwards, in that of the “Persians.” The princes of Media are to prepare themselves for besieging and conquering Babylon. (from ), prop. to polish, cleanse from dirt and rust. The arrows are thereby sharpened; cf. Isa 49:2. is variously explained. The meaning of “shields” is that best established for (see on 2Sa 8:7); while the meaning of “armour equipment,” which is defended by Thenius, is neither very suitable for 2Sa 8:7 nor for 2Ki 11:10 and Son 4:4. There is no the least foundation for the meaning “quiver,” which is assumed merely for this passage. is to be explained in accordance with the analogous expression in 2Ki 9:24, , “he filled his hand with the bow,” i.e., seized the bow. “Fill the shields” with your bodies, or with your arms, since we put these among the straps of the shields. Those addressed are the kings of the Medes, whose spirit God has stirred up to make war against Babylon; for it is against her that His mind or plan is directed. As to the expression, “for it is the vengeance of Jahveh,” etc., cf. Jer 50:15, Jer 50:28. The attack is to be directed against the walls of Babylon. , “standard,” is the military sign carried before the army, in order to show them the direction they are to take, and the point of attack. “watch,” is the force besieging the city; cf. 2Sa 11:16. “Make the watch strong,” i.e., enclose the city firmly. This is more exactly specified in the following clauses. “Set watches,” not as a guard for their own camp (Hitzig), but against the city, in order to maintain a close siege. “Place the ambushes,” that they may peep into the city whenever a sally is made by the besieged; cf. Jos 8:14., Jdg 20:33. “For what Jahveh hath determined, He will also perform.” , “as well as:” He has resolved as well as done, i.e., as He has resolved, He also executes.
Jer 51:13 All the supports of the Babylonian power, its strong position on the Euphrates, and its treasures, which furnished the means for erecting strong fortifications, cannot avert the ruin decreed by God. As to the form , see on Jer 22:23. It is the city with its inhabitants that is addressed, personified as a virgin or daughter. The many waters on which Babylon dwells are the Euphrates, with the canals, trenches, dykes, and marches which surrounded Babylon, and afforded her a strong protection against hostile attacks, but at the same time contributed to increase the wealth of the country and the capital.
(Note: Duncker, Gesch. d. Alterth. i. S. 846, remarks: “The fertility of the soil of Babylon – the produce of the fields – depended on the inundations of the Euphrates. By means of an extensive system of dykes, canals, and river-walls, Nebuchadnezzar succeeded not only in conducting the water of the Euphrates to every point in the plain of Babylon, but also in averting the formation of marshes and the occurrence of floods (which were not rare), as well as regulating the inundation.” The purpose for which these water-works were constructed, was “first of all, irrigation and navigation; but they at the same time afforded strong liens of defence against the foe” (Niebuhr, Gesch. Assyr. u. Bab. S. 219). See details regarding these magnificent works in Duncker, S. 845ff.; Niebuhr, S. 218ff.)
The great riches, however, by which Babylon became , “great in treasures,” so that Aeschylus ( Pers. 52) calls it , were derived from the enormous spoils which Nebuchadnezzar brought to it, partly from Nineveh, partly from Jerusalem, and from the tribute paid by Syria and the wealthy commercial cities of Phoenicia. “Thine end is come;” cf. Gen 6:13. , “the ell (i.e., the measure) of thy gain,” i.e., the limit put to thine unjust gain. The words are connected with “thine end is come” by zeugma. This explanation is simpler than the interpretation adopted by Venema, Eichhorn, and Maurer, from the Vulgate pedalis praecisionis tuae , viz., “the ell of cutting thee off.” Bttcher ( Proben, S. 289, note m) seeks to vindicate the rendering in the following paraphrase: “The ell at which thou shalt be cut off, like something woven or spun, when it has reached the destined number of ells.” According to this view, “ell” would stand for the complete number of the ells determined on; but there is no consideration of the question whether , “to cut off the thread of life,” Isa 38:12, can be applied to a city.
Jer 51:14 The Lord announces destruction to Babylon with a solemn oath. Many take in the sense of in oaths: “truly, certainly.” But this use of the expression is neither fully established, nor suitable in this connection. In 2Sa 15:21 (the only passage that can be cited in its behalf), the meaning “only” gives good enough sense. Ewald (356, b) wrongly adduces 2Ki 5:20 in support of the above meaning, and three lines below he attributes the signification “although” to the passage now before us. Moreover, the asseveration, “Verily I have filled thee with men as with locusts, and they shall sing the Hedad over thee,” can have a suitable meaning only if we take “I have filled thee” prophetically, and understand the filling with men as referring to the enemy, when the city has been reduced (Hitzig). But to fill a city with men hardly means quite the same as to put a host of enemies in it. serves merely to introduce the oath, and means “although,” – as, for instance, in Job 9:15. The meaning is not, “When I filled thee with men, as with locusts, the only result was, that a more abundant wine-pressing could be obtained” (Ngelsbach), for this though is foreign to the context; the meaning rather is, “Even the countless multitudes of men in Babylon will not avail it” (Ewald), will not keep it from ruin. , the song sung at the pressing of wine, is, from the nature of the case, the battle-song; see on Jer 25:30.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
The Prophet shows here the cause why God had resolved to treat the Babylonians with so much severity, even because he would be the avenger of his own people. He also obviates a doubt which might have disturbed weak minds, for he seemed to have forsaken his people when he suffered them to be driven into exile. As this was a kind of repudiation, as we have seen elsewhere, the Prophet says now, that Israel had not been wholly widowed, nor Judah, by his God; as though he had said, that the Jews and the Israelites were indeed, for a time, like widows, but this was not to be perpetual. For, as we have said, the divorce was temporary, when God so forsook his Temple and the city, that the miserable people was exposed to plunder. As long, then, as the will of their enemies prevailed, God seemed to have forsaken his people. It is of this widowhood that the Prophet now speaks; but he yet testifies that Israel would not be wholly widowed by Jehovah his God.
He indeed alludes to that spiritual marriage, of which frequent mention is made; for God had, from the beginning, united the Church to himself, as it were, by a marriage-bond; and the people, as it is well known, had been so received into covenant, that there was contracted, as it were, a spiritual marriage. Then the Prophet now says, that they were not widowed; in which he refers to the hope of deliverance; for it could not have been denied but that God had repudiated his people. But he shows that their chastisement would not be perpetual, because God would at length reconcile to himself the people from whom he had been alienated, and would restore them to the ancient condition and honor of a wife. He speaks of both kingdoms.
Then he adds, by Jehovah of hosts By this title he sets forth the power of God, as though he had said, that as God is faithful in his promises, and constantly keeps his covenant, so he is not destitute of power, so as not to be able to save his people and to rescue them, when it pleases him, from death itself. He confirms this truth, when he says, for the land of the Chaldeans is filled with sin on account of the Holy One of Israel, as though he had said, that the land was abominable, because it carried on war against God.: For when he speaks of the Holy One of Israel, he shows that God had such a care for his people that he was prepared, when the suitable time came, to show himself as their avenger. We now perceive what the Prophet means when he says, that Chaldea was filled with sin, even because it provoked God when it thought that the wrong was done only to men. (82) It follows, —
(82) The explanation of the last clasue is, according to the Jewish commentators, not generally taken. The “land,” by most is deemed to be the land of Israel and Judah. The word אשם, means not only guilt, but also guilt’s penalty — judgement; and this seems to be its meaning here, —
For not widowed is Israel, By his God, by Jehovah of hosts; Though their land has been filled With judgement by the Holy One of Israel.
But if we render מ before or against, then the last line would be, —
With guilt (or sin) before the Holy One of Israel.
—
Ed
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Israel hath not been forsaken.Better, widowed. The participle is from the word that commonly represents the idea of widowhood. Judah and Israel, the prophet declares, were not, as men thought, abandoned by their husband Jehovah. He was still their protector. The prophet has in his thoughts at once the image of apparent widowhood, as in Isa. 50:1; Isa. 54:4-6; Lam. 1:1, and the thought that Jehovah is, after all, as the husband ready to forgive (Jer. 3:4; Jer. 3:14; Jer. 3:20; Jer. 4:1). The assurance of this returning love does not rest on any plea in extenuation of the nations guilt, which the words that follow admit without reserve. For his it would be better to read her or their, as keeping up the metaphor.
Against the Holy One of Israel.On Jeremiahs use of the name, see Note on Jer. 50:29.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 51:5. For Israel hath not been forsaken For Israel shall not therefore be forsaken, or Judah without his God, the Lord of Hosts, because their land hath been filled with desolation by the Holy One of Israel. Houbigant. Though God was justly displeased with his people; yet he will not cast them off utterly as a nation, or deprive them of his protection, though he will do so to those who have been the rod in his hand to chastise and scourge his people.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
DISCOURSE: 1088
GODS MERCY CONTRASTED WITH OUR SINFULNESS
Jer 51:5. Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of Ms God, of the Lord of Hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
THE peculiar people of God in their most afflictive circumstances have a sure prospect of a happy deliverance. But his enemies in their most prosperous state are only like beasts fattening for the slaughter. The Jews were reduced to the lowest ebb of misery in Babylon, on account of their multiplied iniquities: yet did God promise to restore them to their native land. On the contrary, the Babylonians, who were exalted to the highest pitch of grandeur, were in due time to be altogether extirpated. Both these events were foretold by the prophet in this and the preceding chapters: and, in the text, he appeals to the Jews that they had not been forsaken, notwithstanding the abundant cause they had afforded for an utter dereliction
From these words we shall take occasion to consider,
I.
The provocations we have given to God,
1.
In our national capacity
[All sin, of whatever kind, is properly and primarily against the Holy One of Israel [Note: Psa 51:4.]. Now there is no sin, whether against the first or second table of the law, which has not abounded in this land Nor is there any rank or order of men, from the highest to the lowest, that have not yielded up themselves as willing servants to sin and Satan Even the flock of Christ itself, both the pastors who watch over it, and the people who compose it, have contributed in no small degree to the tremendous mass of iniquity, that has incensed our God against us ]
2.
In our individual capacity
[Since a sight of others sins rarely begets any true humiliation in us, let each of us in particular search out his own. Let our thoughts, words, and actions be strictly scrutinized. Let those sins which are more immediately against God, be inquired into; our pride, our impenitence, our unbelief, our ingratitude for temporal blessings, and especially for the unspeakable gift of Gods dear Son; our obstinate resistance of Gods Holy Spirit, together with all our neglect of duties, or our coldness in the performance of them; let these be counted up, and be set in order before us; and the very best of men will see cause for the deepest humiliation; yea, we shall wonder that we have not long since been made like to Sodom and Gomorrha.]
Having taken a view of our sins, let us contrast with them,
II.
The mercies God has vouchsafed to us
Justly have we deserved to be entirely abandoned by our God
[The history of the Jews shews us what we ourselves deserve. He himself bids us go to Shiloh, and see what he did to it for the wickedness of his people [Note: Jer 7:12. with 1Sa 4:10-11.]. Indeed the whole of his dealings with them in their Assyrian and Babylonish captivity, and in their present dispersion, may teach us what we might well expect at his hands ]
But he has not dealt with us according to our desert
[He has not forsaken us as a nation. In proof of this, we appeal to the comparative lightness of our troublesthe signal interpositions with which we have been favoured in the midst of our troublesand lastly, the happy termination of them, by a seasonable restoration both of peace and plenty [Note: October 4, 1801, on a Thanksgiving for peace and plenty.].
Nor has he forsaken us as individuals. He is yet calling us by his word, and striving with us by his Spirit. And we behold amongst us the evident tokens of his presence, in that sinners are yet awakened to repentance, and saints are edified in faith and love.]
Address
1.
Let the long-suffering of God be gratefully acknowledged
[We should account the long-suffering of God to be salvation [Note: 2Pe 3:15.]. Let us not, however, rest in carnal mirth; but let his temporal mercies to our land, and his spiritual mercies to our souls, call forth our liveliest gratitude and our devoutest praise.]
2.
Let it also be practically improved
[In the words immediately following our text, the prophet says, Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his own soul. It was the duty of the Jews to cast on their bondage as soon as God should open a way for their escape. Thus must we also cast off the servitude in which we have been detained, and go forth from amongst all the enemies of God. If we continue in sin, we must take our portion with the ungodly. But if we give up ourselves unreservedly to God, he will blot out our past iniquities in the blood of his Son, and make us partakers of an everlasting salvation.
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 51:5 For Israel [hath] not [been] forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
Ver. 5. For Israel hath not been forsaken. ] Heb., Widowed.
Though their land was filled with sin.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 51:5-10
5For neither Israel nor Judah has been forsaken
By his God, the Lord of hosts,
Although their land is full of guilt
Before the Holy One of Israel.
6Flee from the midst of Babylon,
And each of you save his life!
Do not be destroyed in her punishment,
For this is the Lord’s time of vengeance;
He is going to render recompense to her.
7Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord,
Intoxicating all the earth.
The nations have drunk of her wine;
Therefore the nations are going mad.
8Suddenly Babylon has fallen and been broken;
Wail over her!
Bring balm for her pain;
Perhaps she may be healed.
9We applied healing to Babylon, but she was not healed;
Forsake her and let us each go to his own country,
For her judgment has reached to heaven
And towers up to the very skies.
10The Lord has brought about our vindication;
Come and let us recount in Zion
The work of the Lord our God!
Jer 51:5 In light of Jer 33:24-26, this is an important affirmation that YHWH has not permanently rejected the descendants of Abraham, but only temporarily judged them for their sin (cf. Isa 54:7-8). They, both Israel and Judah, have now been widowed (BDB 48).
Jer 51:6 There is a series of imperatives very similar in meaning to Jer 50:8.
1. flee – BDB 630, KB 681, Qal imperative
2. save – BDB 572, KB 589, Piel imperative
3. do not be destroyed – BDB 198, KB 226, negated Niphal imperfect used in a jussive sense
YHWH commands the Jewish exiles to leave Babylon before His judgment comes! One wonders how exiles could leave before Persia’s victory and Cyrus’ decree. Possibly they could leave the capital city of Babylon, not the country.
Jer 51:7 Babylon served as YHWH’s instrument of judgment). The cup was an idiom for judgment (i.e., drunkenness, cf. Jer 25:15; Hab 2:16; Rev 14:8, see note at Jer 49:12).
the nations are going mad This verb (BDB 237, KB 248, Hithpoel imperfect) is also used in Jer 25:16.
Jer 51:8 This is sarcasm addressed to Babylon’s subservient nations.
1. wail over her – BDB 410, KB 413, Hiphil imperative
2. bring balm for her pain – BDB 542, KB 534, Qal imperative
Jer 51:9 All the efforts of the subservient nations are to no avail. Therefore,
1. forsake her – BDB 736, KB 806, Qal imperative
2. let us each go to his own country – BDB 229, KB 246, Qal imperfect used in a cohortative sense (cf. Jer 50:16; Isa 13:14)
has reached to heaven. . .up to the very skies Poetry is difficult to interpret because of its brevity and imagery.
These verbs seem to imply that
1. the sins of Babylon have come to YHWH’s notice
2. YHWH’s judgment of Babylon is so extensive that it symbolically reaches to the heavens
Jer 51:10 As Jer 51:5 promised YHWH’s forgiveness and restoration, Jer 51:10 demands that the covenant people share His victory in Zion.
1. come – BDB 97, KB 112, Qal imperfect
2. let us recount – BDB 707, KB 765, Piel cohortative, cf. Jer 50:28; Isa 40:2
a. in Zion
b. the work of YHWH
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Israel . . . Judah. Now one People again.
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
the LORD of Hosts. See note on Jer 6:6, and 1Sa 1:3.
sin. Hebrew. chata.
the Holy One of Israel. See note on Psa 71:22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Israel: Jer 33:24-26, Jer 46:28, Jer 50:4, Jer 50:5, Jer 50:20, 1Sa 12:22, 1Ki 6:13, Ezr 9:9, Psa 94:14, Isa 44:21, Isa 49:14, Isa 49:15, Isa 54:3-11, Isa 62:12, Hos 1:10, Amo 9:8, Amo 9:9, Rom 11:1, Rom 11:2
nor: Zec 2:12, Zec 12:6, Zec 12:8
though: Jer 16:18, Jer 19:4, Jer 23:15, Jer 31:37, 2Ki 21:16, Eze 8:17, Eze 9:9, Eze 22:24-31, Hos 4:1, Mic 7:18, Mic 7:20, Zep 3:1-4
Reciprocal: 2Ki 19:22 – the Holy One Isa 1:4 – the Holy Isa 43:15 – the Lord Jer 12:7 – have forsaken
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 51:5. These misfortunes were to come upon the Babylonians on behaif of Israel and Judah who had been held in captivity by these heathen. And alt this was to be done in spite of the sins of Gods people committed while they were in their own land. But the Lord would not tolerate the attitude of the Babylonians toward even an unrighteous nation when it was the peculiar possession of Him.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
51:5 For Israel [hath] not [been] {b} forsaken, nor Judah by his God, by the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
(b) Though they were forsaken for a time, yet they were not utterly cast off as though their husbands were dead.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord Almighty had not forsaken either Israel or Judah, even though they were guilty before the Holy One of Israel.