Jeremiah 50

This chapter belongs to the final section of the oracles against the nations (prophecies of judgment directed at various nations) that begin in Jeremiah 46. Following the prophecies against Ammon, Edom, Elam, and others in Jeremiah 49, the prophecy against Babylon unfolds from this chapter through chapter 51. The text alternates between the fall of Babylon and the return of Israel.

Outline

• Verses 1–3 The fall of Babylon is proclaimed, and Bel and Merodach are put to shame. A nation comes out of the north and makes the land desolate.
• Verses 4–7 The children of Israel and Judah return weeping and set their faces toward Zion, urging one another to join themselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant. Their shepherds are said to have caused the flock to go astray.
• Verses 8–16 The people are commanded to flee from Babylon. A great alliance of nations from the north attacks Babylon, and Babylon, which plundered the LORD's heritage, becomes a wilderness.
• Verses 17–20 First the king of Assyria and then Nebuchadnezzar broke the bones of Israel, the scattered sheep. The LORD will punish Babylon, bring Israel back to his pasture, and pardon the remnant.
• Verses 21–32 A command is given to attack Merathaim and Pekod. "The hammer of the whole earth" is broken, and Babylon, which was proud against the LORD, is repaid according to its deeds.
• Verses 33–40 The strong Redeemer, the LORD of hosts, sets the captive people free. Sword and drought come upon the land of idols, and Babylon becomes uninhabited like Sodom and Gomorrah.
• Verses 41–46 The king of Babylon is terrified before a people coming from the north. The LORD strikes Babylon like a lion coming up from the thickets of the Jordan.

Key Verses

• Jeremiah 50:6 "My people hath been lost sheep": This verse holds the shepherds, that is, the leaders, responsible for the scattering of the people.
• Jeremiah 50:20 "For I will pardon them whom I reserve": The return is not merely a restoration of the land; it comes together with the forgiveness of sins.
• Jeremiah 50:34 "Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of hosts is his name": God, who reclaims the captives, is called Redeemer (one who pays a price to buy back what was lost).

People and Places

• Babylon: The empire that destroyed Judah, and its capital. Chaldea refers to its land and people.
• Bel and Merodach: Marduk, the chief god of Babylon, and his title.
• Nebuchadnezzar: The king of Babylon who conquered Judah.
• Assyria: The empire that destroyed the northern kingdom of Israel.
• Zion: Refers to Jerusalem, toward which the returning people journey.
• Carmel, Bashan, Ephraim, and Gilead: Depicted as pastures where restored Israel will feed and be satisfied.
• Merathaim and Pekod: Names referring to Babylon. They are understood as wordplays meaning "double rebellion" and "punishment," respectively; Pekod is also the name of a region east of Babylon.
• Sodom and Gomorrah: Used as an image of total destruction.
• Jordan: Mentioned as the location of the thickets from which the lion comes up.

Points for Reflection

• Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia in 539 BC, but the city is generally understood to have suffered little destruction. Interpretations of this chapter's depiction of utter desolation therefore differ. Some hold that the prophecy was fulfilled through Babylon's long subsequent decline, while others read it as a prophecy that looks ahead to the final judgment.
• Verses 41–43 reapply to Babylon words that were directed at Zion in Jeremiah 6:22–24, and verses 44–46 reapply words that were directed at Edom in 49:19–21.
• In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), the arrangement of the book is known to differ; for example, this prophecy appears in chapter 27. Jeremiah 51:59–64 reports that Jeremiah wrote down the prophecy against Babylon and sent it there. Some scholars, however, regard these chapters as later compositions.
• There are also connections with the New Testament. The command in verse 8, "Remove out of the midst of Babylon," is echoed in Revelation 18:4, "Come out of her, my people," and the fall of Babylon is linked with the judgment of the great city Babylon in Revelation 18. The pardon of sin in verse 20 corresponds to the promise of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:34.