Глава 50

Having foreshadowed what would happen to other nations, the Prophet finally predicted the death of Babylon. Jer.50:2. Proclaim it publicly, and do it loudly, set up a sign, cry out, and do not hide it: shout: Babylon has been taken captive. Since the king of Babylon, having crushed other kingdoms, forced them to be under his rule; then God commands to announce to the nations the destruction of the kingdom of Babylon. “Shame on Vil.” It was an idol highly revered by the Babylonians. According to some, it was called Vilom Diy, and according to others, Kron. The Prophet says that he is “disgraced,” firstly, as not having the strength to satisfy his fans, and then, as completely deprived of admirers. The city is undaunted, pampered. The prophet depicted the power and luxury of the Babylonians. Devoted to "Merodach". The first king of Babylon was also called Merodach. Therefore, here the Prophet means either the last king, under whom the kingdom was destroyed, or the first, who transferred the kingdom from Nineveh to Babylon. The word: betrayed can be attributed to both the latter and the former; but referring to the latter, the kingdom itself must be understood. The Prophet says that all the Babylonian idols were put to shame, and their powerlessness became obvious. And by (Jer. 50:3) “the tongue from the north,” which took up arms against the Babylonians, means the Medes. It was they, says the Prophet, who turned the country of Babylon into a desert and plundered it. (Jer.50:4). “At that time,” the Prophet said, the ten tribes will regain their freedom, and the two tribes “together” will return, and (Jer. 50:5) “will be joined” to the Lord; because the eternal covenant, that is, the promise given to the fathers, “is not forgotten.” Then the Prophet likens the Israelites (Jer. 50:6) to “lost sheep,” and puts the reason for the destruction of the sheep on the shepherds, and calls shepherds, not only kings, but also “priests,” and says how they were brought to the point where they got lost. They drove them to the mountains, “seducing” them, “going from mountain to hill,” (Jer. 50:7) “forgotten their bed.” He also calls idolatry churches hills and mountains; because they worshiped idols; and we “lay” them down – God’s church; because there was a source of blessings for them, which they enjoyed. This delusion, says the Prophet, betrayed them to their enemies. “Those who have sinned against the Lord are pastures of righteousness, who gather their fathers together to the Lord.” So blessed David says: “We are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (Ps. 99:3). Jeremiah says the same thing here, namely, that they were pasture of righteousness to the Lord, who chose their fathers. Jer.50:8. Get away from the midst of Babylon, and come out from the land of the Chaldeans, and be like goats before the sheep. The word: “goats” was translated by the Syrian interpreter: goats. Therefore, he advises them to surpass the Babylonians in strength and return to their fatherland. That’s why he likened them to goats; because goats are stronger than sheep. So the godly Daniel saw Alexander like a goat, and Darius like a ram (Dan.8:20,21). The Prophet speaks about the multitude of enemies approaching Babylon, that they will overcome it, and (Jer. 50:10) will be “filled” with the blessings collected there. He also explains the cause of the disasters that Babylon will suffer. Jeremiah 50:11. You are joyful and loud, plundering My inheritance, for you gallop like bulls on the grass, and gore like oxen.” (Jer.50:12). “Your mother was greatly desecrated,” that is, Babylon was desecrated. Jeremiah 50:12. Shame 28 the mother who gave birth to you for good; that is, it has become depleted of benefits. And this makes it possible to see the extreme degree of ruin; This is also shown by the following words: “Behold, the last of the nations is empty” and without water. (Jer.50:13). “And from the wrath of the Lord” it will not be inhabited, and “it will be desolate.” He also says that those passing through Babylon, due to excessive distress, assume a sad look and express their amazement by whistling. He also commands the shooters to throw arrows without mercy and punish Babylon for her wickedness (Jer. 50:14); “before,” says the Prophet, “sin before the Lord.” Predicts both the fear of the Babylonians and the destruction of the walls; adds the cause of the disaster. Jeremiah 50:15. As the vengeance of the Lord is, take revenge on him, as you have done, do it to him. (Jer.50:16). “Consume the seed from Babylon, who holds the sickle during the harvest,” that is, put to death not only those who took up arms, but also the farmers; because they also did the same when they fought against Israel. “From the face of the Hellenistic sword, each one will turn to his people, and each one will flee to his own land.” Before taking Babylon, Cyrus defeated the Lydians, conquered the Ionians and the Aeolians, who moved to Asia from Hellas. Therefore, bringing them with him, he took up arms against the Babylonians. And it was not in vain that the prophetic word mentioned the Greeks, but letting them know that the nations living afar had gathered against the Babylonians by God's decree. Jeremiah 50:17. The sheep that goes astray is Israel. The error of idolatry became the cause of disaster for him. "Lvov" expelled him. This is how the Prophet named the Assyrian kings. “First of all,” their “king Assur:” Tiglathfeaser, Salamanaser and Sennacherib. This “last one, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, ate his bones”, i.e. left by the forefathers. For this, says God, I will punish them, and Babylon will suffer the same thing that Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrians, suffered. And having punished them, I will return Israel to their native land; for the Prophet calls it (Jer. 50:19) “Bashan, Carmel, and Mount Ephraim.” It also predicts a change for the better, and liberation from the previous charm. And then he again calls the land of the Chaldeans the land of the “greatly grieved”, and the enemies, whom he commands to rush to the Chaldeans and fulfill what was commanded by God, as a “sword”. (Jer.50:23). He called the kingdom of Babylon “Mlatom” of “the whole earth”, since it struck all nations and crushed other kingdoms; for the hammer tends to crush everything on which its blows fall. Jeremiah 50:25. The Lord has opened His treasures, and brought forth the vessels of His wrath, for this is God and Lord of hosts “in the land of the Chaldeans.” (Jer.50:26). “As his times have come. The Prophet called the punitive sentence “treasures,” and “at times” it was the punishment itself. The Lord, he says, will no longer show patience, but will punish for wickedness. Then admonishing that God Himself imposes punishment, he commands to inspect (Jer. 50:26) the “storehouses”, destroy everything, and not leave a trace of the former prosperity. He also predicts how Jews flee from there in large numbers, come to Jerusalem, and announce the disasters that befell Babylon. Therefore, having commanded Babylon to endure from others what he forced to endure himself, he says (Jer. 50:29): repay “him according to his deeds,” and pointing out his fury against God Himself, he addresses the following words to him: Jer.50:31. Behold, I am proud of you, says the Lord strength The name proud given to Babylon implies that its arrogance is against God, and means lawless acts with all people. “For the day has come” of your fall and the time of vengeance on you, (Jer. 50:32) “and your pride will fall, and it will not rise again: and I will kindle a fire in the oak grove, and all that surrounds it will be destroyed.” By “oak grove” the Prophet means many houses and many inhabitants; and under the word: “surrounding” - subjects; and under the exhaustion of pride - the crushing of dominion. They will tolerate this, says God, because, having enslaved My people, they did not want to return their freedom in time. That is why God threatens to hand over to the enemies the city, the inhabitants, the false prophecies, and the Babylonian warriors who were accustomed to be distinguished by their valor, and those who came to their aid, and the hidden treasures. He also threatens to turn its water into nothing: in a figurative sense he calls the crowded water. And it probably foreshadows what will happen to the water, not taken in a figurative sense; because Babylon in ancient times divided the Euphrates, flowing through the middle of the city; but now the river has chosen a different path for itself, and the smallest channel passes through the ruins of the city. (Jer.50:38). The Prophet calls city houses “islands”; because water flowed around their walls, and the city had a river in the middle. And the Prophet calls demonic dreams (Jer. 50:39) “dreams.” The words: “daughters of the Sirins” were translated by the Syrian interpreter: “strophocamyls”; and it is customary for divine Scripture to call demons this way; because they deceive and deceive people. But both signify desolation. Jer.50:39. And no one will be united together forever, nor will she live in him from generation to generation. Indeed, both were fulfilled; because Babylon was not rebuilt, but to this day it has been deprived of fences, and remained uninhabited for a long time. The Prophet expressed this with the words: “from generation to generation.” And even now this land is inhabited by a small number of Jews. The Prophet likens it (Jer. 50:40) to Sodom and Gomorrah, both for the previous wickedness and for the disasters that this country suffered later. Describes the full armor of the enemies, says that they are like a stormy sea, and compares the zealous to fire. And the Babylonians, says the Prophet, “weakened their hands” from fear (Jer. 50:43); and he compares their painful grief to the illnesses of a wife giving birth. At the same time, he makes it known that God Himself leads the Medes. Jer.50:44. Who is like Me? and who can stand against Me? And who is this shepherd, who will oppose My face? Because God was called the shepherd of Israel, and the kings of Babylon thought of themselves that they had overcome the God of all; then he teaches that He Himself, according to His incomparable power, will subject them to punishment. Then he advises them to destroy (Jer. 50:45) “the lambs of the sheep,” and destroy “their pasture; “lambs” he calls babies, and “pasture” - the city and the region belonging to it. Blessed David also foretells about children, for he says: “Blessed is he who has and will dash your babies against the stone” (Ps. 137:9). Jer.50:46. From the voice of the Babylonian captivity the earth will shake, and the cry of the nations will be heard. Since the city was famous, the rumor about what he suffered spread everywhere. Instead of: χατωρν᾿ γη, as read by Blessed Theodoret, it is better to read according to the translation of the seventy ἐνετρἀπη.