Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 51:23
I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
23. governors [mg. lieutenants ] and deputies ] Cp. Jer 51:28 ; Jer 51:57; also Eze 23:6; Eze 23:12-23. The names in the original are not Heb. but Assyrian, and are often found in inscriptions in that language. The former is applied to Tattenai (Ezr 5:6), Nehemiah (Neh 5:14), and Zerubbabel (Hag 1:1).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Captains … rulers – Jer 51:28. Pashas and Sagans. The prophet dwells at length upon Babylons destructiveness.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
The sense of all three verse is the same, viz. that God had made use of, and was still making use of the Babylonians to waste and impoverish much people, wasting their goods, routing their armies, killing all sorts of their inhabitants.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock,…. Or, have broken; which Abarbinel thinks respects the Arabians particularly, who were shepherds, and dwelt in tents; but it rather signifies shepherds and their flocks in general; who were killed or scattered wherever his armies came, which spared none, even the most innocent and useful, and though unarmed:
and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; with which he ploughed his ground: signifying by this, as well as the former, that those were not spared, by which kingdoms were supported and maintained, as shepherds and husbandmen:
and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers; by whom kingdoms and states are governed and protected.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(23) With thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.The exhausting of all sorts and conditions of men culminates in the ruling caste. The Hebrew word for captain (Pekha) is interesting as connected with the Arabic, with which we are now familiar in the form Pacha (Frst, Lex.).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Jer 51:23 I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.
Ver. 23. The shepherd and his flock, the husbandman and his yoke, &c. ] This particular enumeration is very emphatic. so Jer 50:35 ; Jer 50:37-38
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Reciprocal: Isa 13:1 – of Babylon Jer 50:16 – the sower Jer 50:36 – her mighty Zec 10:2 – therefore
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 51:23, The reference to shepherds and husbandmen indicates that all agricultural pursuits will be stopped. Captains and rulers pertain to the governmental departments of a nation, and these also were to be overthrown in Gods wrath.