33 Thus says the Lord of hosts , "The sons of Israel are oppressed , And the sons of Judah as well ; And all who took them captive have held them fast , They have refused to let them go . 34 "Their Redeemer is strong , the Lord of hosts is His name ; He will vigorously plead their case So that He may bring rest to the earth , But turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon . 35 "A sword against the Chaldeans ," declares the Lord , "And against the inhabitants of Babylon And against her officials and her wise men ! 36 "A sword against the oracle priests , and they will become fools ! A sword against her mighty men , and they will be shattered ! 37 "A sword against their horses and against their chariots And against all the foreigners who are in the midst of her, And they will become women ! A sword against her treasures , and they will be plundered ! 38 "A drought on her waters , and they will be dried up! For it is a land of idols , And they are mad over fearsome idols. 39 "Therefore the desert creatures will live there along with the jackals ; The ostriches also will live in it, And it will never again be inhabited Or dwelt in from generation to generation . 40 "As when God overthrew Sodom And Gomorrah with its neighbors ," declares the Lord , "No man will live there , Nor will any son of man reside in it. 41 "Behold , a people is coming from the north , And a great nation and many kings Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth . 42 "They seize their bow and javelin ; They are cruel and have no mercy . Their voice roars like the sea ; And they ride on horses , Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon . 43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp ; Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth . 44 " Behold , one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture ; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is chosen I will appoint over it. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand before Me?" 45 Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has planned against Babylon , and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans : surely e they will drag them off , even the little ones of the flock ; surely e He will make their pasture desolate because of them. 46 At the shout , "Babylon has been seized !" the earth is shaken , and an outcry is heard among the nations .
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 50:33-46
Commentary on Jeremiah 50:33-46
(Read Jeremiah 50:33-46)
It is Israel's comfort in distress, that, though they are weak, their Redeemer is strong. This may be applied to believers, who complain of the dominion of sin and corruption, and of their own weakness and manifold infirmities. Their Redeemer is able to keep what they commit to him; and sin shall not have dominion over them. He will give them that rest which remains for the people of God. Also here is Babylon's sin, and their punishment. The sins are, idolatry and persecution. He that will not save his people in their sins, never will countenance the wickedness of his open enemies. The judgments of God for these sins will lay them waste. In the judgments denounced against prosperous Babylon, and the mercies promised to afflicted Israel, we learn to choose to suffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.