501 The word which the Lord spoke concerning Babylon , the land of the Chaldeans , through Jeremiah the prophet : 2 " Declare and proclaim among the nations . Proclaim it and lift up a standard . Do not conceal it but say , ' Babylon has been captured , Bel has been put to shame , Marduk has been shattered ; Her images have been put to shame , her idols have been shattered .' 3 "For a nation has come up against her out of the north ; it will make her land an object of horror , and there will be no inhabitant in it. Both man and beast have wandered off, they have gone away! 4 "In those days and at that time ," declares the Lord , "the sons of Israel will come , both they and the sons of Judah as well ; they will go along weeping as they go , and it will be the Lord their God they will seek . 5 "They will ask for the way to Zion , turning their faces in its direction ; they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten . 6 "My people have become lost sheep ; Their shepherds have led them astray . They have made them turn aside on the mountains ; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their resting place . 7 "All who came upon them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said , ' We are not guilty , Inasmuch e as they have sinned against the Lord who is the habitation of righteousness , Even the Lord , the hope of their fathers .'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 50:1-7
Commentary on Jeremiah 50:1-7
(Read Jeremiah 50:1-7)
The king of Babylon was kind to Jeremiah, yet the prophet must foretell the ruin of that kingdom. If our friends are God's enemies, we dare not speak peace to them. The destruction of Babylon is spoken of as done thoroughly. Here is a word for the comfort of the Jews. They shall return to their God first, then to their own land; the promise of their conversion and reformation makes way for the other promises. Their tears flow not from the sorrow of the world, as when they went into captivity, but from godly sorrow. They shall seek after the Lord as their God, and have no more to do with idols. They shall think of returning to their own country. This represents the return of poor souls to God. In true converts there are sincere desires to attain the end, and constant cares to keep in the way. Their present case is lamented as very sad. The sins of professing Christians never will excuse those who rejoice in destroying them.