Logos Bible Study

Jeremiah 50:28–32

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50:28Listen! Fugitives and refugees are coming from the land of Babylon.

They are coming to Zion to declare there

how the Lord our God is getting revenge,

getting revenge for what they have done to his temple.71

50:29“Call for archers72 to come against Babylon!

Summon against her all who draw the bow!

Set up camp all around the city!

Do not allow anyone to escape!

Pay her back for what she has done.

Do to her what she has done to others.

For she has proudly defied me,73

the Holy One of Israel.74

50:30So her young men will fall in her city squares.

All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”

says the Lord.75

50:31“Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,”76

says the Lord God who rules over all.77

“Indeed,78 your day of reckoning79 has come,

the time when I will punish you.80

50:32You will stumble and fall, you proud city;

no one will help you get up.

I will set fire to your towns;

it will burn up everything that surrounds you.”81

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Footnotes

  1. 71 Heb “Hark! Fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for his temple.” For the meaning “Hark!” for the noun קוֹל (qol) see 877 קוֹל 1.f and compare the usage in Jer 10:22. The syntax is elliptical because there is no main verb. The present translation has supplied the verb “come” as many other English versions have done. The translation also expands the genitival expression “vengeance for his temple” to explain what all the commentaries agree is involved. This verse appears to be a parenthetical exclamation of the prophet in the midst of his report of what the Lord said through him. He throws himself into the future and sees the fall of Babylon and hears the people reporting in Zion how God has destroyed Babylon to get revenge for the Babylonians destroying his temple. Jeremiah prophesied from 627 b.c. (see the study note on ) until sometime after 586 b.c. after Jerusalem fell and he was taken to Egypt. The fall of Babylon occurred in 538 b.c. some fifty years later. However, Jeremiah had prophesied as early as the first year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (605 b.c.; Jer 25:1) that many nations and great kings would come and subject Babylon, the instrument of God’s wrath—his sword against the nations—to bondage (Jer 25:12–14).
  2. 72 For this word see 914 III רַב and compare usage in Prov 26:10 and Job 16:12 and compare the usage of the verb in Gen 49:23. Based on this evidence, it is not necessary to emend the form to רֹבִים (rovim) as many commentators contend.
  3. 73 Heb “for she has acted insolently against the Lord.” Once again there is the problem of the Lord speaking about himself in the third person (or the prophet dropping his identification with the Lord). As in several other places the present translation, along with several other modern English versions (, , ), has substituted the first person to maintain consistency with the context.
  4. 74 The Holy One of Israel is a common title for the Lord in the book of Isaiah. It is applied to the Lord only here and in 51:5 in the book of Jeremiah. It is a figure where an attribute of a person is put as a title of a person (compare “your majesty” for a king). It pictures the Lord as the sovereign king who rules over his covenant people and exercises moral authority over them.
  5. 75 Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”
  6. 76 Heb “Behold, I am against you, proud one.” The word “city” is not in the text but it is generally agreed that the word is being used as a personification of the city which had “proudly defied” the Lord (v. 29). The word “city” is supplied in the translation for clarity.
  7. 77 Heb “oracle of the Lord Yahweh of armies.” For the rendering of this title and an explanation of its significance see the study note on .
  8. 78 The particle כִּי (ki) is probably asseverative here (so J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [], , n. 13, and cf. 472 כִּי 1.e for other examples). This has been a common use of this particle in the book of Jeremiah.
  9. 79 The words “of reckoning” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
  10. 80 Compare v. 27.
  11. 81 Heb “And the proud one will fall and there will be no one to help him up. I will start a fire in his towns and it will consume all that surround him.” The personification continues but now the stance is indirect (third person) rather than direct (second person). It is easier for the modern reader who is not accustomed to such sudden shifts if the second person is maintained. The personification of the city (or nation) as masculine is a little unusual; normally cities and nations are personified as feminine, as daughters or mothers.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“A voice! They flee and escape from the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God, vengeance for his temple.

“Summon archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow. Encamp around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her according to all that she has done. For she has proudly defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. Therefore her young men shall fall in her squares, and all her soldiers shall be destroyed on that day, declares the Lord.

“Behold, I am against you, O proud one,

declares the Lord God of hosts,

for your day has come,

the time when I will punish you.

The proud one shall stumble and fall,

with none to raise him up,

and I will kindle a fire in his cities,

and it will devour all that is around him.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon

declaring in Zion

how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,

vengeance for his temple.

“Summon archers against Babylon,

all those who draw the bow.

Encamp all around her;

let no one escape.

Repay her for her deeds;

do to her as she has done.

For she has defied the Lord,

the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets;

all her soldiers will be silenced in that day,”

declares the Lord.

“See, I am against you, you arrogant one,”

declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty,

“for your day has come,

the time for you to be punished.

The arrogant one will stumble and fall

and no one will help her up;

I will kindle a fire in her towns

that will consume all who are around her.”

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

There is a voice of fugitives and refugees

from the land of Babylon.

The voice announces in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,

the vengeance for his temple.

Summon the archers to Babylon,

all who string the bow;

camp all around her; let none escape.

Repay her according to her deeds;

just as she has done, do the same to her,

for she has acted arrogantly against the Lord,

against the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore, her young men will fall

in her public squares;

all the warriors will perish in that day.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

Look, I am against you, you arrogant one—

this is the declaration of

the Lord God of Armies—

for your day has come,

the time when I will punish you.

The arrogant will stumble and fall

with no one to pick him up.

I will set fire to his cities,

and it will consume everything around him.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Listen to the people who have escaped from Babylon,

as they tell in Jerusalem

how the Lord our God has taken vengeance

against those who destroyed his Temple.

“Send out a call for archers to come to Babylon.

Surround the city so none can escape.

Do to her as she has done to others,

for she has defied the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.

Her young men will fall in the streets and die.

Her soldiers will all be killed,”

says the Lord.

“See, I am your enemy, you arrogant people,”

says the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.

“Your day of reckoning has arrived—

the day when I will punish you.

O land of arrogance, you will stumble and fall,

and no one will raise you up.

For I will light a fire in the cities of Babylon

that will burn up everything around them.”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

There is the sound of fugitives and survivors

from the land of Babylon,

to declare in Zion the vengeance of Yahweh our God,

the vengeance for his temple.

Summon archers against Babylon,

all those who bend the bow.

Encamp all around her,

there must not be for her an escape.

Take revenge on her according to her deeds.

According to all that she has done, so do to her.

For against Yahweh she has behaved insolently,

against the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore her young men will fall in her public squares,

and all her soldiers will perish on that day,” declares Yahweh.

“Look, I am against you, O arrogant one,”

declares Lord Yahweh of hosts,

“for your day has come,

the time when I will punish you.

And the arrogant one will stumble and fall,

and there is no one who raises him up.

And I will kindle a fire in his cities,

and it will devour everything around him.”

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon,

To declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God,

The vengeance of his temple.

Call together the archers against Babylon:

All ye that bend the bow, camp against it round about;

Let none thereof escape:

Recompense her according to her work;

According to all that she hath done, do unto her:

For she hath been proud against the Lord, against the Holy One of Israel.

Therefore shall her young men fall in the streets,

And all her men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the Lord.

Behold, I am against thee, O thou most proud,

Saith the Lord God of hosts:

For thy day is come, the time that I will visit thee.

And the most proud shall stumble and fall,

And none shall raise him up:

And I will kindle a fire in his cities,

And it shall devour all round about him.

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