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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 50:35

Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 50:35

A sword [is] upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise [men].

Omit is. A summons comes from Yahweh, Israels Goel, to the sword to fall upon all the elements of Babylons greatness. The princes were her rulers at home and her generals in war. The wise men were those upon whose learning she so prided herself (Dan 1:4 note).

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 35. A sword] War and its calamities, or any grievous plague; and so in the following verses.

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

That is, there shall come a sword, the sword of the Medes, upon Babylon, and all the land of the Chaldeans, and all orders of persons in it.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

35-37. The repetition of “Asword” in the beginning of each verse, by the figure anaphora,heightens the effect; the reiterated judgment is universal; the samesad stroke of the sword is upon each and all connected with guiltyBabylon.

wise men (Isa47:13). Babylon boasted that it was the peculiar seat of wisdomand wise men, especially in astronomy and astrology.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

A sword [is] upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord,…. Or, “shall be” k or, “O sword, [be thou] on the Chaldeans” l; that is, the sword of the Medes and Persians; those that kill with the sword, as the Targum; in the mystic sense, the Christian princes that shall draw the sword against the antichristian states:

and upon the inhabitants of Babylon; the metropolis of Chaldea; the common people in it, as distinguished from those of high rank and degree following:

and upon her princes; Belshazzar and his nobles, who were slain the night Babylon was taken:

and upon her wise [men]; prime ministers, politicians, and counsellors of state; neither high birth nor great wisdom can secure from the sword of the enemy, when it has a commission from God, as it had here.

k “Erit”, Abarbinel; “irruet”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. l “gladie, super Chaldaeos, scil. veni, ades”, Schmidt.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

THE Prophet proceeds with the same subject, and employs the same manner of speaking. He denounces war on the Chaldeans as a celestial herald; and then that what he says might have more force and power, he sets the Persians and the Medes before us in the act of assailing and destroying Babylon. He therefore says now in general, A sword on the Chaldeans; and, secondly, he mentions the inhabitants of Babylon, for that city was the seat and head of the kingdom, as it is well known; but as the power of that monarchy was deemed by men unassailable, the Prophet adds, that though the chief men excelled in counsel and strength, and in the art of war, yet a sword would be upon them; and in the last place, that though Babylon had its diviners, their knowledge would yet be in vain. He, indeed, uses an honorable name, yet he no doubt refers to astrologers and soothsayers, and other kinds of prophets. For we know that the whole nation was given to many superstitions; but they boasted themselves to be the chief of all astrologers; and hence soothsayers, who practice their impostures, are called Chaldeans, and it was formerly a common designation.

Then the Prophet means, that neither power nor warlike skill, nor knowledge of any kind, would be a defense to the Chaldeans, nor the arts in which they gloried, even though they thought that they were familiarly acquainted with God; for by the stars they were wont to divine whatever was to be. It follows, —

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

II. THE DESTRUCTION OF BABYLON

Jer. 50:35 to Jer. 51:26

In this section of the Babylon oracle the major theme of the fall of Babylon becomes more prominent. The minor theme of the deliverance of Israel occurs only in Jer. 51:5-6; Jer. 51:10.

A. Thorough Destruction Jer. 50:35-40

TRANSLATION

(35) A sword against the. Chaldeans (oracle of the LORD), against the inhabitants of Babylon, her princes and her wisemen. (36) A sword against the boasters, and they shall become fools! A sword against her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed! (37) A sword against her horses, chariots, and all the mixed people which are in the midst of her, and they shall become women! A sword against her storehouses, and they shall be plundered. (38) A drought against her waters and they shall be dry; for it is a land of graven images and they are mad over terrors. (39) Therefore, desert creatures with wolves shall dwell there, ostriches shall dwell in it. She shall not be inhabited any more forever, nor populated for all generations. (40) As God overturned Sodom and Gomorrah and neighboring cities (oracle of the LORD), so a man shall not dwell there nor a son of man sojourn in her.

COMMENTS

The Lord will use the agents of sword and drought through the centuries to destroy all which supports Babylons power and glory: the inhabitants of the city as well as the civil and religious leaders (Jer. 50:35), the liars, boasters or soothsayers, the strong armies and foreign mercenaries, the treasures of the city (Jer. 50:37), and the ancient and elaborate irrigation system (Jer. 50:38).[413] This tidal wave of destruction will sweep Babylonia because that land was a land of graven images and they are mad over idols (Jer. 50:38). The Hebrew word translated idols literally means horrors or terrors. The cruel, bloodthirsty and immoral gods of Babylon were indeed horrible creations of the depraved mind of man. What a pity that the highly cultured Babylonians had not used their wisdom and knowledge to turn to the true and living God. Certainly through their contacts with the people of Israel they had numerous opportunities to come to know the Lord of glory. Surely it was of such people that the apostle Paul spoke when he wrote: Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things (Rom. 1:22-23).

[413] One of the keys to the agricultural prosperity of Babylonia was the irrigation system which dates back to the time of Hammurapi in the eighteenth century before Christ. In fulfillment of the prophecy the famous canals of Babylon have silted up and all but disappeared.

The sword and the drought will eventually make Babylon as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. The point of comparison here is not the manner of Sodoms destruction but the results of that overthrow. Following its destruction Babylon will never again be inhabited by human beings (Jer. 50:40). The place will be fit only for desert creatures, the wolves or jackals (lit., howling creatures) and the owls or ostriches (Jer. 50:39). In this description of the desolation of Babylon Jeremiah is echoing the prophecy of Isaiah where many of the same thoughts occur (cf. Isa. 13:19-22).

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(35) A sword is upon the Chaldeans.Better, A sword upon the Chaldeans. Here, and in the verses that follow, the interpolated verb weakens the force of the passage. Jehovah is represented as calling the sword and the drought to do their work of destruction.

Upon her wise men.The term points especially to the wise men in the technical sense of the term, the soothsayers and astrologers who were prominent among Nebuchadnezzars counsellors (Dan. 2:2; Dan. 2:13).

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

35. A sword is upon the Chaldeans The verb inserted by the translators takes away from the dramatic character of the passage. The original has the form of an exclamation, on account of the feeling which pervades it.

Princes Rulers in peace, leaders in war.

Wise men Magicians or savants.

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

The Coming Judgment On Babylon In Accordance With YHWH’s Purpose ( Jer 50:35-40 ).

The opening verses could be called ‘the Song of the Sword’. The sword is mentioned five times.

Jer 50:35-37

“A sword is upon the Chaldeans,

The word of YHWH,

And upon the inhabitants of Babylon,

And upon her princes,

And upon her wise men.

A sword is upon the boasters,

And they will become fools,

A sword is upon her mighty men,

And they will be dismayed.”

A sword is upon their horses,

And upon their chariots,

And on all the mingled people who are in the midst of her,

And they will become as women,

A sword is upon her treasures,

And they will be robbed.”

The sword will bereft Babylon and Babylonia (the Chaldeans) of all that it holds dear, in accordance with the prophetic word of YHWH, whether they be princes, wise men, mighty men, battle horses, chariots, foreign mercenaries or treasures. Their boasters will become fools, because their boasting will prove to be folly; their mighty men will lose heart and shrink before the enemy; their foreign mercenaries will become like weak women, pathetic and clinging to each other in the face of what is coming; their great treasures will be stolen. All in which they gloried will collapse. Let us not be in any doubt. This is the destiny of all those who oppose God.

Jer 50:38-40

A drought is upon her waters,

And they will be dried up,

For it is a land of graven images,

And they are mad over idols.

Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wolves will dwell there,

And the ostriches shall dwell in it,

And it will be no more inhabited for ever,

Nor will it be dwelt in from generation to generation.

As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,

And their neighbouring cities,

The word of YHWH,

So will no man dwell there,

Nor will any son of man sojourn in it.”

Because Babylonia was a major centre of idolatry and all that that involved (compare Isa 47:9; Isa 47:12-13) it will become barren. Its waters will be dried up (irrigation will cease), its choice places will become the habitat of wild beasts, it will cease to be inhabited, in the same way as no one ever again dwelt in Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighbouring cities whose fate it to some extent shares.

There is a play on words in that ‘drought’ (horeb) is very similar to the word ‘sword’ (hereb) emphasised in Jer 50:35-37. Both sword and drought were familiar means of YHWH inflicting punishment. For drought as such an instrument see Deu 28:22-24; Amo 4:7-8. Some would indeed repoint the original consonants to mean ‘sword’, but drought fits the illustration better. Once a nation became disorganised one of the first things to suffer were its systems of irrigation, systems which were so important in the Mesopotamian region in order to make use of the great rivers.

‘Mad over idols.’ The word used here for ‘idols’ signifies ‘objects of terror’ and possibly even ‘gigantic objects of terror’. See its use in Psa 88:16; Job 20:25; Gen 14:5; Deu 2:10-11. The idea is probably that in the same way as they have allowed themselves to be terrified by their gigantic idols, so now they will be terrified by YHWH.

We are not sure what kind of creatures were involved in the words used in Jer 50:39. Various translations give various renderings. But the point is the same. Wild creatures will have taken over from man. The comparison with Sodom and Gomorrah is common among the prophets (e.g. Jer 23:14; Jer 49:18; Isa 1:9; Isa 13:19; Amo 4:11; Zep 2:9). They were a symbol of God’s utter judgment. Compare for these verses Isa 13:19-22 (of Babylon); Jer 34:11-17 (of Edom).

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

I must not detain the Reader, by entering upon the many interesting particulars here enumerated of God’s judgments upon Babylon. I only briefly observe, that the history of that kingdom hath fully shown the truth of the divine predictions. For where is that once great city, whose magnificence and glory was so highly spoken of? It is, as the Lord said it should be, now a desert for beasts and the reptiles of the earth. Thus Isaiah prophesied of it, and so it came to pass, and is fulfilled even to this day. Isa 13:19-22 . Cyrus the Persian, in concert with Darius the Mede, as had been predicted of him, opened a passage through the great river Euphrates, and entered Babylon by night, while the king and his nobles were reveling in their security. See Isa 45:1-4 and Dan 5:30 . But though I must not detain the Reader any longer with the mere history of the event, I should lose the chief object of this commentary, did I not humbly follow the steps of the Prophet, explained by the Evangelist, and call the Reader to the spiritual illustration of the history of Babylon. All oppressors of God’s people act as instruments for the promotion of God’s glory. And the final destruction of them is therefore set forth in the scriptures, as the one great design of God. Hence in the book of the Revelations, the Apostle John had it in commission to tell the Church, that this was the spiritual object all along intended. God’s love and attention to his Church in Christ, was thus all along shadowed out in all the sacred scriptures; so that as this Chapter concludes the whole history confirms, at the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations. Rev 18 throughout.

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

Jer 50:35 A sword [is] upon the Chaldeans, saith the LORD, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and upon her princes, and upon her wise [men].

Ver. 35. A sword is upon the Chaldeans. ] Those sworn swordsmen of the devil.

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

A sword. Note the Figure of speech Anaphora, in five successive sentences.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

sword: Jer 47:6, Lev 26:25, Isa 66:16, Eze 14:2, Hos 11:6, Zec 11:17

upon her princes: Jer 50:27, Jer 50:30, Jer 51:39, Jer 51:57, Isa 41:25, Dan 5:1, Dan 5:2, Dan 5:30

her wise men: Jer 8:9, Jer 10:7, Isa 19:11-13, Isa 29:14, Isa 44:25, Isa 47:13, Isa 47:14, Dan 5:7, Dan 5:8

Reciprocal: Deu 20:17 – thou shalt Isa 13:15 – General Isa 45:1 – to subdue Jer 25:27 – because Jer 50:12 – a wilderness Jer 50:25 – opened Jer 51:47 – her whole Eze 30:4 – the sword

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jer 50:35. The prophet resumes his writfngs against the Babylonian Empire, also called the Chaldeans. The sword was another of the weapons commonly used in aneient warfare, and it is predicted that the men of Babylon were doomed to feel its edge. Not only were tbe military men to suffer from it, but the leading men in civilian life also were to be cut down by the sword.

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jer 50:35-37. A sword is upon the Chaldeans That is, there shall come a sword upon them. Upon Babylon and her princes Who were slain together with their king, Belshazzar, at a feast, Jer 51:39; Dan 5:2-30. And upon her wise men The Chaldeans were famous for their skill in astrology, and other arts of divination; and yet the learned in those sciences were not able to foresee or prevent the dangers coming upon themselves in the common calamity. A sword is upon the liars Upon the diviners, or the pretenders to the knowledge of future events; and they shall dote They shall be proved to be foolish and ignorant, by things happening directly contrary to what they had thought and said. Thus Isaiah, speaking of the same kind of men, says, He (namely, God) frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad. A sword is upon all the mingled people Upon her auxiliaries, made up of several nations: see Eze 30:5. And they shall become as women Fearful, and having neither courage nor any thing else manly in them. A sword is upon her treasures, &c. Her treasures shall be a prey to such as come with sword in hand to rifle them: as Solon said to Crsus, who, by way of ostentation, showed him his treasures, Sir, if any one come that has better iron than you, he will be master of all your gold. Lowth.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Yahweh decreed a military invasion for all the people of Babylon, from the ordinary citizens to the officials and sages. The pagan priests would prove to be fools instead of wise men, and the bravest warriors would turn out to be losers.

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