Ver. 31. — thou most proud; rather, Pride! Just as in ver. 21 Babylon is called Mcralhaim, and as Egypt is, in Hebiew poetry, called Rahab, i.e. " boister- ousness " or " arrogance " (Isa. xxx. 7 ; li. 9 ; Job xxvi. 12 ; Ps. Ixxxvii. 4 ; Ixxxix. 10).
Ver. 32.— The most proud; rather. Pride. Eaise him up. For the sake of uniformity, "her" would be better; for it is Babylou who is spoken of. There is an inconsistency in the use of the persons in the original. Elsewhere in tliia description Babylon ia feminine ; here it is masculine, to agree with " Pride."
Ver. 33.— At the end of ver. 32 a pause occurs in the discourse. Then the prophet
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THE BOOK OF THE PBUPHET JEREMIAH. L™- 1- 1— '^6.
take* up the theme again with renewed emphasis. Were oppressed; rather, are oppressed. BeciiuBe the oppression of Israel and Judah still ooiitiiiues, whereas Israel has by this time been amply punished (" re- ceived double," Isa. xl. 2) fur her transgres- Bions, Jehovali will himself interpose. He IS, in fact, Israel's Gael ('• Redeemer "), i e. cliarged, like the next of kin, with the duty of recovering thy rights and avenging thy wrongs (comp. Isa. xli. 11; zlTii. 1). On the Ooel, see Lev. xzt. 25; Buth iv. 6; Numh. XXX. 19.
Ver. 34. — That ho may giye rest to the land ; rather, to the earth. Babylon was one of the great world-empires ; we can hardly dispense with this convenient Germanism. It was the wont of the Chaldeans, as Ha- bakkuk puts it (i. 6), " to walk through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwiUing- places that were not theirs." Observe tlie striking coutrast — "rest" to the world which has been too long deprived of it, and " dis- quiet " to those who have hitherto spread it far and wide (comp. Isa. xiv. 2, 3).
Vers. 35 — 38. -No human aid avails against so terrible a foe ; therefore Jehovah calls npon his Sword (see on ch. xlvii. 6) to avenge the cause of his people.
Ver. 35. — A sword is, etc., sliould rather be, Sword upon the Chaldeans ; it is an ex- clamation equivalent to " Let the Sword come upon the Chaldeans" — that sword which never "returns empty." The wise men are, partly the astronomers and astro- logers at the various observatories in Baby- lonia, whose duty it was to send la monthly reports of tlie appearances in the sky, which were regarded as having an occult political significance (comp. Isa. xlvii. 13). In the next verse thoy are called liars, or praters. In Isa. xliv. 25 this word stands parallel to "diviners." Possibly "liars" may be B wider term than "vise men," and in-
cludes an inferior grade of pretenders tc " wisdom."
Ver. 37. — The mingled people ; rather, the foreign peoples. Even if in ch. xxv. 20 the Hebiew 'erebh is an ethnograpliicai term re- minding us of the AsBvrian Urbi used ol Bedouin trilies,' it is clear that no such explanation will suit liere (see on oh.xxv.20;.
Ver. 38.— A drought. The Massoretij critics, in their prosaic realism, were unable to see how a " sword " could be " upon the waters;" hence tliey altered k\ireb into hhoreh. But the sword is merely a symbol of the Divine vengeance, and may be in- terpreted differently according to the exi- gencies of the context. Bender, Sword upon the waters. They are mad upon their idols ; rather, through Terrors they befool themselves. " Terrors " is a synonym for the gods of the heathen, which inspired a feeling of awe rather than affection, unlike Jehovah as he revealed himself through the authors of the psalms and prophecies.
Ver. 39. — Parallel passages : Isa. xxxiv. 14; xiii. 20-22. The wUd beasts of the desert ; rather, wild cats (so Bochart, ' Hierozoicon,' p. 862). Wild beasts of the islands ; rather, jackals. Owls ; rather, ostriches.
Ver. 40. — A verbal copy of oh. xlix. 18.
Ver. 41 — ch. li. 4. — The instruments ol the judgment. The section is partly a cento from other prophecies. Thus vers. 41 — 43 aie a repetition of oh. vi. 22 — 24, except that what is there said of Jerusalem is here applied to Babylon ; and vers. 44 — 46 of ch. xlix. 19 — 21, the reference, how- ever, being in the latter passage to Edom. In ver. 46 At the noise of the taking ol Babylon would be more literally rendered, At the cry, Saln/lon is taken.
' Friedr. Delilzsch, ' Wo lag das Ban^ dies?' (Leipz., 1881), p. 806.
H0MILETIC8.
Ver. 2. — 3%« Judgment of Babylon. The position and history of Babylon give ■
peculiar significance to the judgment against her.
I. Babtlon had been the obeatest power of heb tiue. 1. Earthly greatness is transitory. The supremacy of the world is an insecure position. Bivalries and hatreds inevitably spring up about it. 2. No might nor dignity can secure a people from the judgmi-vt of Heaven. The more talents are entrusted to a nation the heavier must its responsibility be. England will have to answer to God for her use of the vast resources on which she foolishly prides itself. The wealth and population of London are no defence against Divine judgments.
II. BaBTLOM had BEBN the most VIOTOKIOnS KtNGDOH OV HEB TIHK. She had
conquered in her wars with neighbouring nations. While they failed she had suc- ceeded ; fortune, frowning on them, had smiled upon her. Yet Babylon's time came. No sround of confidence is more delusive than previous success. If success induoei carelessness and self-indulgence, it is sure to prepare the wa> for future failure. Th<
OH. L. 1—46.] THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 21i
" fortunate man " has not the slightest reason for presuming that his good furtune will help him in the future life. If he can argue anything from it, he may conclude that, since he has had his good things in this Me, the evils that fall to his share must await him in the next.
III. Babylon had tbidmphed ovbb thb people of God. Some might have thought that this was a victory of her patron god over the Jehovah of the Jews. But now "Bel Is confounded, Merodach is broken in |iieces." For a season the evil powers of the world may triumph over the Church of Christ. But ultimately they must succumb. Persecution cannot finally crush the truth. Unbelief, proud and insolent as it may be for a while, must ultimately bow before the power of faith. For truth is great and eternal, and God is fighting on its side.
IV. Babylon had been an instrument in the hands of God. Jehovah speaks of Nebuchadnezzar as " my servant" (ch. xxvii. 6). Yet he must suffer. For he was not a deliberate, willing servant. If God overrules the actioa of a man for good, this result is no justification of his conduct. For he is judged by liis aims and motives, and not at all by the unintentional and unforeseen results of his actions. The only service of God which renders the servant acceptable in his sight is conscious, willing, obedient service. We may be used by God for other service, and then be cast off and suffer for our sinful deeds as much as if no Divine ends had been fulfilled in them. Thus the scourge is scourged.