Yesaya 14:4-23
Konteks14:4 you will taunt the king of Babylon with these words: 1
“Look how the oppressor has met his end!
Hostility 2 has ceased!
14:5 The Lord has broken the club of the wicked,
the scepter of rulers.
14:6 It 3 furiously struck down nations
with unceasing blows. 4
It angrily ruled over nations,
oppressing them without restraint. 5
14:7 The whole earth rests and is quiet;
they break into song.
14:8 The evergreens also rejoice over your demise, 6
as do the cedars of Lebanon, singing, 7
‘Since you fell asleep, 8
no woodsman comes up to chop us down!’ 9
14:9 Sheol 10 below is stirred up about you,
ready to meet you when you arrive.
It rouses 11 the spirits of the dead for you,
all the former leaders of the earth; 12
it makes all the former kings of the nations
rise from their thrones. 13
14:10 All of them respond to you, saying:
‘You too have become weak like us!
You have become just like us!
14:11 Your splendor 14 has been brought down to Sheol,
as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. 15
You lie on a bed of maggots,
with a blanket of worms over you. 16
14:12 Look how you have fallen from the sky,
O shining one, son of the dawn! 17
You have been cut down to the ground,
O conqueror 18 of the nations! 19
14:13 You said to yourself, 20
“I will climb up to the sky.
Above the stars of El 21
I will set up my throne.
I will rule on the mountain of assembly
on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 22
14:14 I will climb up to the tops 23 of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High!” 24
14:15 But you were brought down 25 to Sheol,
to the remote slopes of the pit. 26
14:16 Those who see you stare at you,
they look at you carefully, thinking: 27
“Is this the man who shook the earth,
the one who made kingdoms tremble?
14:17 Is this the one who made the world like a desert,
who ruined its 28 cities,
and refused to free his prisoners so they could return home?”’ 29
14:18 30 As for all the kings of the nations,
all of them 31 lie down in splendor, 32
each in his own tomb. 33
14:19 But you have been thrown out of your grave
like a shoot that is thrown away. 34
You lie among 35 the slain,
among those who have been slashed by the sword,
among those headed for 36 the stones of the pit, 37
as if you were a mangled corpse. 38
14:20 You will not be buried with them, 39
because you destroyed your land
and killed your people.
The offspring of the wicked
will never be mentioned again.
14:21 Prepare to execute 40 his sons
for the sins their ancestors have committed. 41
They must not rise up and take possession of the earth,
or fill the surface of the world with cities.” 42
14:22 “I will rise up against them,”
says the Lord who commands armies.
“I will blot out all remembrance of Babylon and destroy all her people, 43
including the offspring she produces,” 44
says the Lord.
14:23 “I will turn her into a place that is overrun with wild animals 45
and covered with pools of stagnant water.
I will get rid of her, just as one sweeps away dirt with a broom,” 46
says the Lord who commands armies.
Yesaya 21:1-10
Konteks21:1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: 47
Like strong winds blowing in the south, 48
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
21:2 I have received a distressing message: 49
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!” 50
21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 51
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 52 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 54
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 55 the carpet,
eat and drink! 56
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 57
21:6 For this is what the sovereign master 58 has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
21:7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses, 59
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
21:8 Then the guard 60 cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master, 61
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
21:9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.” 62
When questioned, he replies, 63
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
21:10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, 64
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
Yesaya 43:14
Konteks43:14 This is what the Lord says,
your protector, 65 the Holy One of Israel: 66
“For your sake I send to Babylon
and make them all fugitives, 67
turning the Babylonians’ joyful shouts into mourning songs. 68
Yesaya 44:1-2
Konteks44:1 “Now, listen, Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!”
44:2 This is what the Lord, the one who made you, says –
the one who formed you in the womb and helps you:
“Don’t be afraid, my servant Jacob,
Jeshurun, 69 whom I have chosen!
Yesaya 47:1-15
Konteks47:1 “Fall down! Sit in the dirt,
O virgin 70 daughter Babylon!
Sit on the ground, not on a throne,
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 71 you will no longer be called delicate and pampered.
47:2 Pick up millstones and grind flour!
Remove your veil,
strip off your skirt,
expose your legs,
cross the streams!
47:3 Let your private parts be exposed!
Your genitals will be on display! 72
I will get revenge;
I will not have pity on anyone,” 73
47:4 says our protector –
the Lord who commands armies is his name,
the Holy One of Israel. 74
47:5 “Sit silently! Go to a hiding place, 75
O daughter of the Babylonians!
Indeed, 76 you will no longer be called ‘Queen of kingdoms.’
47:6 I was angry at my people;
I defiled my special possession
and handed them over to you.
You showed them no mercy; 77
you even placed a very heavy burden on old people. 78
47:7 You said,
‘I will rule forever as permanent queen!’ 79
You did not think about these things; 80
you did not consider how it would turn out. 81
47:8 So now, listen to this,
O one who lives so lavishly, 82
who lives securely,
who says to herself, 83
‘I am unique! No one can compare to me! 84
I will never have to live as a widow;
I will never lose my children.’ 85
47:9 Both of these will come upon you
suddenly, in one day!
You will lose your children and be widowed. 86
You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies, 87
despite 88 your many incantations
and your numerous amulets. 89
47:10 You were complacent in your evil deeds; 90
you thought, 91 ‘No one sees me.’
Your self-professed 92 wisdom and knowledge lead you astray,
when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!’ 93
47:11 Disaster will overtake you;
you will not know how to charm it away. 94
Destruction will fall on you;
you will not be able to appease it.
Calamity will strike you suddenly,
before you recognize it. 95
47:12 Persist 96 in trusting 97 your amulets
and your many incantations,
which you have faithfully recited 98 since your youth!
Maybe you will be successful 99 –
maybe you will scare away disaster. 100
47:13 You are tired out from listening to so much advice. 101
Let them take their stand –
the ones who see omens in the sky,
who gaze at the stars,
who make monthly predictions –
let them rescue you from the disaster that is about to overtake you! 102
47:14 Look, they are like straw,
which the fire burns up;
they cannot rescue themselves
from the heat 103 of the flames.
There are no coals to warm them,
no firelight to enjoy. 104
47:15 They will disappoint you, 105
those you have so faithfully dealt with since your youth. 106
Each strays off in his own direction, 107
leaving no one to rescue you.”
Yeremia 25:12-26
Konteks25:12 “‘But when the seventy years are over, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation 108 for their sins. I will make the land of Babylon 109 an everlasting ruin. 110 I, the Lord, affirm it! 111 25:13 I will bring on that land everything that I said I would. I will bring on it everything that is written in this book. I will bring on it everything that Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations. 112 25:14 For many nations and great kings will make slaves of the king of Babylon and his nation 113 too. I will repay them for all they have done!’” 114
25:15 So 115 the Lord, the God of Israel, spoke to me in a vision. 116 “Take this cup from my hand. It is filled with the wine of my wrath. 117 Take it and make the nations to whom I send you drink it. 25:16 When they have drunk it, they will stagger to and fro 118 and act insane. For I will send wars sweeping through them.” 119
25:17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand. I made all the nations to whom he sent me drink the wine of his wrath. 120 25:18 I made Jerusalem 121 and the cities of Judah, its kings and its officials drink it. 122 I did it so Judah would become a ruin. I did it so Judah, its kings, and its officials would become an object 123 of horror and of hissing scorn, an example used in curses. 124 Such is already becoming the case! 125 25:19 I made all of these other people drink it: Pharaoh, king of Egypt; 126 his attendants, his officials, his people, 25:20 the foreigners living in Egypt; 127 all the kings of the land of Uz; 128 all the kings of the land of the Philistines, 129 the people of Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, the people who had been left alive from Ashdod; 130 25:21 all the people of Edom, 131 Moab, 132 Ammon; 133 25:22 all the kings of Tyre, 134 all the kings of Sidon; 135 all the kings of the coastlands along the sea; 136 25:23 the people of Dedan, Tema, Buz, 137 all the desert people who cut their hair short at the temples; 138 25:24 all the kings of Arabia who 139 live in the desert; 25:25 all the kings of Zimri; 140 all the kings of Elam; 141 all the kings of Media; 142 25:26 all the kings of the north, whether near or far from one another; and all the other kingdoms which are on the face of the earth. After all of them have drunk the wine of the Lord’s wrath, 143 the king of Babylon 144 must drink it.
Yeremia 50:1--51:23
Konteks50:1 The Lord spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia 145 through the prophet Jeremiah. 146
50:2 “Announce 147 the news among the nations! Proclaim it!
Signal for people to pay attention! 148
Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say:
‘Babylon will be captured.
Bel 149 will be put to shame.
Marduk will be dismayed.
Babylon’s idols will be put to shame.
Her disgusting images 150 will be dismayed. 151
50:3 For a nation from the north 152 will attack Babylon.
It will lay her land waste.
People and animals will flee out of it.
No one will inhabit it.’
50:4 “When that time comes,” says the Lord, 153
“the people of Israel and Judah will return to the land together.
They will come back with tears of repentance
as they seek the Lord their God. 154
50:5 They will ask the way to Zion;
they will turn their faces toward it.
They will come 155 and bind themselves to the Lord
in a lasting covenant that will never be forgotten. 156
50:6 “My people have been lost sheep.
Their shepherds 157 have allow them to go astray.
They have wandered around in the mountains.
They have roamed from one mountain and hill to another. 158
They have forgotten their resting place.
50:7 All who encountered them devoured them.
Their enemies who did this said, ‘We are not liable for punishment!
For those people have sinned against the Lord, their true pasture. 159
They have sinned against the Lord in whom their ancestors 160 trusted.’ 161
50:8 “People of Judah, 162 get out of Babylon quickly!
Leave the land of Babylonia! 163
Be the first to depart! 164
Be like the male goats that lead the herd.
50:9 For I will rouse into action and bring against Babylon
a host of mighty nations 165 from the land of the north.
They will set up their battle lines against her.
They will come from the north and capture her. 166
Their arrows will be like a skilled soldier 167
who does not return from the battle empty-handed. 168
50:10 Babylonia 169 will be plundered.
Those who plunder it will take all they want,”
says the Lord. 170
50:11 “People of Babylonia, 171 you plundered my people. 172
That made you happy and glad.
You frolic about like calves in a pasture. 173
Your joyous sounds are like the neighs of a stallion. 174
50:12 But Babylonia will be put to great shame.
The land where you were born 175 will be disgraced.
Indeed, 176 Babylonia will become the least important of all nations.
It will become a dry and barren desert.
50:13 After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited. 177
It will be totally desolate.
All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn
because of all the disasters that have happened to it. 178
50:14 “Take up your battle positions all around Babylon,
all you soldiers who are armed with bows. 179
Shoot 180 all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! 181
For she has sinned against the Lord.
50:15 Shout the battle cry from all around the city.
She will throw up her hands in surrender. 182
Her towers 183 will fall.
Her walls will be torn down.
Because I, the Lord, am wreaking revenge, 184
take out your vengeance on her!
Do to her as she has done!
50:16 Kill all the farmers who sow the seed in the land of Babylon.
Kill all those who wield the sickle at harvest time. 185
Let all the foreigners return to their own people.
Let them hurry back to their own lands
to escape destruction by that enemy army. 186
50:17 “The people of Israel are like scattered sheep
which lions have chased away.
First the king of Assyria devoured them. 187
Now last of all King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon has gnawed their bones. 188
50:18 So I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, say: 189
‘I will punish the king of Babylon and his land
just as I punished the king of Assyria.
50:19 But I will restore the flock of Israel to their own pasture.
They will graze on Mount Carmel and the land of Bashan.
They will eat until they are full 190
on the hills of Ephraim and the land of Gilead. 191
50:20 When that time comes,
no guilt will be found in Israel.
No sin will be found in Judah. 192
For I will forgive those of them I have allowed to survive. 193
I, the Lord, affirm it!’” 194
“Attack 196 the land of Merathaim
and the people who live in Pekod! 197
Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them! 198
Do just as I have commanded you! 199
50:22 The noise of battle can be heard in the land of Babylonia. 200
There is the sound of great destruction.
50:23 Babylon hammered the whole world to pieces.
But see how that ‘hammer’ has been broken and shattered! 201
See what an object of horror
Babylon has become among the nations!
50:24 I set a trap for you, Babylon;
you were caught before you knew it.
You fought against me.
So you were found and captured. 202
50:25 I have opened up the place where my weapons are stored. 203
I have brought out the weapons for carrying out my wrath. 204
For I, the Lord God who rules over all, 205
have work to carry out in the land of Babylonia. 206
50:26 Come from far away and attack Babylonia! 207
Open up the places where she stores her grain!
Pile her up in ruins! 208 Destroy her completely! 209
Do not leave anyone alive! 210
50:27 Kill all her soldiers! 211
Let them be slaughtered! 212
They are doomed, 213 for their day of reckoning 214 has come,
the time for them to be punished.”
50:28 Listen! 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. 215
50:29 “Call for archers 216 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, 217
the Holy One of Israel. 218
50:30 So her young men will fall in her city squares.
All her soldiers will be destroyed at that time,”
says the Lord. 219
50:31 “Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” 220
says the Lord God who rules over all. 221
“Indeed, 222 your day of reckoning 223 has come,
the time when I will punish you. 224
50:32 You 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.” 225
50:33 The Lord who rules over all 226 says,
“The people of Israel are oppressed.
So too are the people of Judah. 227
All those who took them captive are holding them prisoners.
They refuse to set them free.
50:34 But the one who will rescue them 228 is strong.
He is known as the Lord who rules over all. 229
He will strongly 230 champion their cause.
As a result 231 he will bring peace and rest to the earth,
but trouble and turmoil 232 to the people who inhabit Babylonia. 233
50:35 “Destructive forces will come against the Babylonians,” 234 says the Lord. 235
“They will come against the people who inhabit Babylonia,
against her leaders and her men of wisdom.
50:36 Destructive forces will come against her false prophets; 236
they will be shown to be fools! 237
Destructive forces will come against her soldiers;
they will be filled with terror! 238
50:37 Destructive forces will come against her horses and her 239 chariots.
Destructive forces will come against all the foreign troops within her; 240
they will be as frightened as women! 241
Destructive forces will come against her treasures;
they will be taken away as plunder!
50:38 A drought will come upon her land;
her rivers and canals will be dried up. 242
All of this will happen because her land is filled with idols. 243
Her people act like madmen because of 244 those idols they fear. 245
50:39 Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there.
Ostriches 246 will dwell in it too. 247
But no people will ever live there again.
No one will dwell there for all time to come. 248
50:40 I will destroy Babylonia just like I did
Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns.
No one will live there. 249
No human being will settle in it,”
says the Lord. 250
50:41 “Look! An army is about to come from the north.
A mighty nation and many kings 251 are stirring into action
in faraway parts of the earth.
50:42 Its soldiers are armed with bows and spears.
They are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride forth on their horses.
Lined up in formation like men going into battle,
they are coming against you, fair Babylon! 252
50:43 The king of Babylon will become paralyzed with fear 253
when he hears news of their coming. 254
Anguish will grip him,
agony like that of a woman giving birth to a baby. 255
50:44 “A lion coming up from the thick undergrowth along the Jordan
scatters the sheep in the pastureland around it.
So too I will chase the Babylonians off of their land.
Then I will appoint over it whomever I choose.
For there is no one like me.
There is no one who can call me to account.
There is no ruler that can stand up against me.
50:45 So listen to what I, the Lord, have planned against Babylon,
what I intend to do to the people who inhabit the land of Babylonia. 256
Their little ones will be dragged off.
I will completely destroy their land because of what they have done.
50:46 The people of the earth will quake when they hear Babylon has been captured.
Her cries of anguish will be heard by the other nations.” 257
51:1 The Lord says,
“I will cause a destructive wind 258 to blow
against 259 Babylon and the people who inhabit Babylonia. 260
51:2 I will send people to winnow Babylonia like a wind blowing away chaff. 261
They will winnow her and strip her land bare. 262
This will happen when 263 they come against her from every direction,
when it is time to destroy her. 264
51:3 Do not give her archers time to string their bows
or to put on their coats of armor. 265
Do not spare any of her young men.
Completely destroy 266 her whole army.
51:4 Let them fall 267 slain in the land of Babylonia, 268
mortally wounded in the streets of her cities. 269
51:5 “For Israel and Judah will not be forsaken 270
by their God, the Lord who rules over all. 271
For the land of Babylonia is 272 full of guilt
against the Holy One of Israel. 273
51:6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. 274
Flee to save your lives.
Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins.
For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge.
He will pay Babylonia 275 back for what she has done. 276
51:7 Babylonia had been a gold cup in the Lord’s hand.
She had made the whole world drunk.
The nations had drunk from the wine of her wrath. 277
So they have all gone mad. 278
51:8 But suddenly Babylonia will fall and be destroyed. 279
Cry out in mourning over it!
Get medicine for her wounds!
Perhaps she can be healed!
51:9 Foreigners living there will say, 280
‘We tried to heal her, but she could not be healed.
Let’s leave Babylonia 281 and each go back to his own country.
For judgment on her will be vast in its proportions.
It will be like it is piled up to heaven, stacked up into the clouds.’ 282
51:10 The exiles from Judah will say, 283
‘The Lord has brought about a great deliverance for us! 284
Come on, let’s go and proclaim in Zion
what the Lord our God has done!’
51:11 “Sharpen 285 your arrows!
Fill your quivers! 286
The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in 287 the kings of Media. 288
For he intends to destroy Babylonia.
For that is how the Lord will get his revenge –
how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple. 289
51:12 Give the signal to attack Babylon’s wall! 290
Bring more guards! 291
Post them all around the city! 292
Put men in ambush! 293
For the Lord will do what he has planned.
He will do what he said he would do to the people of Babylon. 294
51:13 “You who live along the rivers of Babylon, 295
the time of your end has come.
You who are rich in plundered treasure,
it is time for your lives to be cut off. 296
51:14 The Lord who rules over all 297 has solemnly sworn, 298
‘I will fill your land with enemy soldiers.
They will swarm over it like locusts. 299
They will raise up shouts of victory over it.’
51:15 He is the one who 300 by his power made the earth.
He is the one who by his wisdom fixed the world in place,
by his understanding he spread out the heavens.
51:16 When his voice thunders, the waters in the heavens roar.
He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.
He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.
He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.
51:17 All idolaters will prove to be stupid and ignorant.
Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.
For the image he forges is merely a sham.
There is no breath in any of those idols.
51:18 They are worthless, objects to be ridiculed.
When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.
51:19 The Lord, who is the portion of the descendants of Jacob, is not like them.
For he is the one who created everything,
including the people of Israel whom he claims as his own. 301
He is known as the Lord who rules over all. 302
51:20 “Babylon, 303 you are my war club, 304
my weapon for battle.
I used you to smash nations. 305
I used you to destroy kingdoms.
51:21 I used you to smash horses and their riders. 306
I used you to smash chariots and their drivers.
51:22 I used you to smash men and women.
I used you to smash old men and young men.
I used you to smash young men and young women.
51:23 I used you to smash shepherds and their flocks.
I used you to smash farmers and their teams of oxen.
I used you to smash governors and leaders.” 307
Daniel 5:28--6:28
Konteks5:28 As for peres 308 – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
5:29 Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, 309 Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom. 5:30 And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, 310 was killed. 311 5:31 (6:1) 312 So Darius the Mede took control of the kingdom when he was about sixty-two years old.
6:1 It seemed like a good idea to Darius 313 to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps 314 who would be in charge of the entire kingdom. 6:2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable 315 to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage. 6:3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 6:4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find 316 some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. 317 But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, 318 because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. 319 6:5 So these men concluded, 320 “We won’t find any pretext against this man Daniel unless it is 321 in connection with the law of his God.”
6:6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion 322 to the king and said 323 to him, “O King Darius, live forever! 6:7 To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays 324 to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions. 6:8 Now let the king issue a written interdict 325 so that it cannot be altered, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed. 326 6:9 So King Darius issued the written interdict.
6:10 When Daniel realized 327 that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows 328 in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. 329 Three 330 times daily he was 331 kneeling 332 and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously. 6:11 Then those officials who had gone to the king 333 came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God. 6:12 So they approached the king and said to him, 334 “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, 335 according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.” 6:13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives 336 from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.” 337
6:14 When the king heard this, 338 he was very upset and began thinking about 339 how he might rescue Daniel. Until late afternoon 340 he was struggling to find a way to rescue him. 6:15 Then those men came by collusion to the king and 341 said to him, 342 “Recall, 343 O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no edict or decree that the king issues can be changed.” 6:16 So the king gave the order, 344 and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den 345 of lions. The king consoled 346 Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!” 6:17 Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening 347 to the den. The king sealed 348 it with his signet ring and with those 349 of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel. 6:18 Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions 350 were brought to him. He was unable to sleep. 351
6:19 In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den. 6:20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, 352 “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”
6:21 Then Daniel spoke to 353 the king, “O king, live forever! 6:22 My God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths so that they have not harmed me, because I was found to be innocent before him. Nor have I done any harm to you, O king.”
6:23 Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God. 6:24 The king gave another order, 354 and those men who had maliciously accused 355 Daniel were brought and thrown 356 into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. 357 They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
6:25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and language groups who were living in all the land: “Peace and prosperity! 358 6:26 I have issued an edict that throughout all the dominion of my kingdom people are to revere and fear the God of Daniel.
“For he is the living God;
he endures forever.
His kingdom will not be destroyed;
his authority is forever. 359
6:27 He rescues and delivers
and performs signs and wonders
in the heavens and on the earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power 360 of the lions!”
6:28 So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and 361 the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Wahyu 17:1--18:24
Konteks17:1 Then 362 one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke to me. 363 “Come,” he said, “I will show you the condemnation and punishment 364 of the great prostitute who sits on many waters, 17:2 with whom the kings of the earth committed sexual immorality and the earth’s inhabitants got drunk with the wine of her immorality.” 365 17:3 So 366 he carried me away in the Spirit 367 to a wilderness, 368 and there 369 I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 17:4 Now 370 the woman was dressed in purple and scarlet clothing, 371 and adorned with gold, 372 precious stones, and pearls. She held 373 in her hand a golden cup filled with detestable things and unclean things from her sexual immorality. 374 17:5 On 375 her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 376 “Babylon the Great, the Mother of prostitutes and of the detestable things of the earth.” 17:6 I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. 377 I 378 was greatly astounded 379 when I saw her. 17:7 But 380 the angel said to me, “Why are you astounded? I will interpret 381 for you the mystery of the woman and of the beast with the seven heads and ten horns that carries her. 17:8 The beast you saw was, and is not, but is about to come up from the abyss 382 and then go to destruction. The 383 inhabitants of the earth – all those whose names have not been written in the book of life since the foundation of the world – will be astounded when they see that 384 the beast was, and is not, but is to come. 17:9 (This requires 385 a mind that has wisdom.) The seven heads are seven mountains 386 the woman sits on. They are also seven kings: 17:10 five have fallen; one is, 387 and the other has not yet come, but whenever he does come, he must remain for only a brief time. 17:11 The 388 beast that was, and is not, is himself an eighth king and yet is one of the seven, and is going to destruction. 17:12 The 389 ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority 390 as kings with the beast for one hour. 17:13 These kings 391 have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. 17:14 They will make war with the Lamb, but the Lamb will conquer them, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those accompanying 392 the Lamb are the called, chosen, and faithful.”
17:15 Then 393 the angel 394 said to me, “The waters you saw (where the prostitute is seated) are peoples, multitudes, 395 nations, and languages. 17:16 The 396 ten horns that you saw, and the beast – these will hate the prostitute and make her desolate and naked. They 397 will consume her flesh and burn her up with fire. 398 17:17 For God has put into their minds 399 to carry out his purpose 400 by making 401 a decision 402 to give their royal power 403 to the beast until the words of God are fulfilled. 404 17:18 As for 405 the woman you saw, she is the great city that has sovereignty over the kings of the earth.”
18:1 After these things I saw another angel, who possessed great authority, coming down out of heaven, and the earth was lit up by his radiance. 406 18:2 He 407 shouted with a powerful voice:
“Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great!
She 408 has become a lair for demons,
a haunt 409 for every unclean spirit,
a haunt for every unclean bird,
a haunt for every unclean and detested beast. 410
18:3 For all the nations 411 have fallen 412 from
the wine of her immoral passion, 413
and the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality with her,
and the merchants of the earth have gotten rich from the power of her sensual behavior.” 414
18:4 Then 415 I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, so you will not take part in her sins and so you will not receive her plagues, 18:5 because her sins have piled 416 up all the way to heaven 417 and God has remembered 418 her crimes. 419 18:6 Repay her the same way she repaid others; 420 pay her back double 421 corresponding to her deeds. In the cup she mixed, mix double the amount for her. 18:7 As much as 422 she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, 423 to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, 424 ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues 425 in a single day: disease, 426 mourning, 427 and famine, and she will be burned down 428 with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
18:9 Then 429 the kings of the earth who committed immoral acts with her and lived in sensual luxury 430 with her will weep and wail for her when they see the smoke from the fire that burns her up. 431 18:10 They will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment, and will say,
“Woe, woe, O great city,
Babylon the powerful city!
For in a single hour your doom 432 has come!”
18:11 Then 433 the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn for her because no one buys their cargo 434 any longer – 18:12 cargo such as gold, silver, 435 precious stones, pearls, fine linen, purple cloth, silk, 436 scarlet cloth, 437 all sorts of things made of citron wood, 438 all sorts of objects made of ivory, all sorts of things made of expensive wood, bronze, iron and marble, 18:13 cinnamon, spice, 439 incense, perfumed ointment, 440 frankincense, 441 wine, olive oil and costly flour, 442 wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and four-wheeled carriages, 443 slaves and human lives. 444
18:14 (The ripe fruit 445 you greatly desired 446
has gone from you,
and all your luxury 447 and splendor 448
have gone from you –
they will never ever be found again!) 449
18:15 The merchants who sold 450 these things, who got rich from her, will stand a long way off because they are afraid of her torment. They will weep 451 and mourn, 18:16 saying,
“Woe, woe, O great city –
dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet clothing, 452
and adorned with gold, 453 precious stones, and pearls –
18:17 because in a single hour such great wealth has been destroyed!” 454
And every ship’s captain, 455 and all who sail along the coast 456 – seamen, and all who 457 make their living from the sea, stood a long way off 18:18 and began to shout 458 when they saw the smoke from the fire that burned her up, 459 “Who is like the great city?” 18:19 And they threw dust on their heads and were shouting with weeping and mourning, 460
“Woe, Woe, O great city –
in which all those who had ships on the sea got rich from her wealth –
because in a single hour she has been destroyed!” 461
18:20 (Rejoice over her, O heaven,
and you saints and apostles and prophets,
for God has pronounced judgment 462 against her on your behalf!) 463
18:21 Then 464 one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said,
“With this kind of sudden violent force 465
Babylon the great city will be thrown down 466
and it will never be found again!
18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,
flute players, and trumpeters
will never be heard in you 467 again.
No 468 craftsman 469 who practices any trade
will ever be found in you again;
the noise of a mill 470 will never be heard in you again.
18:23 Even the light from a lamp
will never shine in you again!
The voices of the bridegroom and his bride
will never be heard in you again.
For your merchants were the tycoons of the world,
because all the nations 471 were deceived by your magic spells! 472
18:24 The 473 blood of the saints and prophets was found in her, 474
along with the blood 475 of all those who had been killed on the earth.”
[14:4] 1 tn Heb “you will lift up this taunt over the king of Babylon, saying.”
[14:4] 2 tc The word in the Hebrew text (מַדְהֵבָה, madhevah) is unattested elsewhere and of uncertain meaning. Many (following the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa) assume a dalet-resh (ד-ר) confusion and emend the form to מַרְהֵבָה (marhevah, “onslaught”). See HALOT 548 s.v. II *מִדָּה and HALOT 633 s.v. *מַרְהֵבָה.
[14:6] 3 tn Or perhaps, “he” (cf. KJV; NCV “the king of Babylon”). The present translation understands the referent of the pronoun (“it”) to be the “club/scepter” of the preceding line.
[14:6] 4 tn Heb “it was striking down nations in fury [with] a blow without ceasing.” The participle (“striking down”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:6] 5 tn Heb “it was ruling in anger nations [with] oppression without restraint.” The participle (“ruling”) suggests repeated or continuous action in past time.
[14:8] 6 tn Heb “concerning you.”
[14:8] 7 tn The word “singing” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. Note that the personified trees speak in the second half of the verse.
[14:8] 8 tn Heb “lay down” (in death); cf. NAB “laid to rest.”
[14:8] 9 tn Heb “the [wood]cutter does not come up against us.”
[14:9] 10 sn Sheol is the proper name of the subterranean world which was regarded as the land of the dead.
[14:9] 11 tn Heb “arousing.” The form is probably a Polel infinitive absolute, rather than a third masculine singular perfect, for Sheol is grammatically feminine (note “stirred up”). See GKC 466 §145.t.
[14:9] 12 tn Heb “all the rams of the earth.” The animal epithet is used metaphorically here for leaders. See HALOT 903 s.v. *עַתּוּד.
[14:9] 13 tn Heb “lifting from their thrones all the kings of the nations.” הֵקִים (heqim, a Hiphil perfect third masculine singular) should be emended to an infinitive absolute (הָקֵים, haqem). See the note on “rouses” earlier in the verse.
[14:11] 14 tn Or “pride” (NCV, CEV); KJV, NIV, NRSV “pomp.”
[14:11] 15 tn Or “harps” (NAB, NIV, NRSV).
[14:11] 16 tn Heb “under you maggots are spread out, and worms are your cover.”
[14:12] 17 tn The Hebrew text has הֵילֵל בֶּן־שָׁחַר (helel ben-shakhar, “Helel son of Shachar”), which is probably a name for the morning star (Venus) or the crescent moon. See HALOT 245 s.v. הֵילֵל.
[14:12] sn What is the background for the imagery in vv. 12-15? This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address him in vv. 9ff., he is called “the man” in v. 16, and, according to vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar, the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this seems contextually unwarranted (see J. Martin, “Isaiah,” BKCOT, 1061).
[14:12] 18 tn Some understand the verb to from חָלַשׁ (khalash, “to weaken”), but HALOT 324 s.v. II חלשׁ proposes a homonym here, meaning “to defeat.”
[14:12] 19 sn In this line the taunting kings hint at the literal identity of the king, after likening him to the god Helel and a tree. The verb גָדַע (gada’, “cut down”) is used of chopping down trees in 9:10 and 10:33.
[14:13] 20 tn Heb “you, you said in your heart.”
[14:13] 21 sn In Canaanite mythology the stars of El were astral deities under the authority of the high god El.
[14:13] 22 sn Zaphon, the Canaanite version of Olympus, was the “mountain of assembly” where the gods met.
[14:14] 23 tn Heb “the high places.” This word often refers to the high places where pagan worship was conducted, but here it probably refers to the “backs” or tops of the clouds. See HALOT 136 s.v. בָּמָה.
[14:14] 24 sn Normally in the OT the title “Most High” belongs to the God of Israel, but in this context, where the mythological overtones are so strong, it probably refers to the Canaanite high god El.
[14:15] 25 tn The prefixed verb form is taken as a preterite. Note the use of perfects in v. 12 to describe the king’s downfall.
[14:15] 26 tn The Hebrew term בּוּר (bor, “cistern”) is sometimes used metaphorically to refer to the place of the dead or the entrance to the underworld.
[14:16] 27 tn The word “thinking” is supplied in the translation in order to make it clear that the next line records their thoughts as they gaze at him.
[14:17] 28 tc The pronominal suffix is masculine, even though its antecedent appears to be the grammatically feminine noun “world.” Some have suggested that the form עָרָיו (’arayv, plural noun with third masculine singular suffix) should be emended to עָרֶיהָ (’areha, plural noun with third feminine singular suffix). This emendation may be unnecessary in light of other examples of lack of agreement a suffix and its antecedent noun.
[14:17] 29 tn Heb “and his prisoners did not let loose to [their] homes.” This really means, “he did not let loose his prisoners and send them back to their homes.’ On the elliptical style, see GKC 366 §117.o.
[14:18] 30 sn It is unclear where the quotation of the kings, begun in v. 10b, ends. However, the reference to the “kings of the nations” in v. 18 (see also v. 9) seems to indicate that the quotation has ended at this point and that Israel’s direct taunt (cf. vv. 4b-10a) has resumed. In fact the references to the “kings of the nations” may form a stylistic inclusio or frame around the quotation.
[14:18] 31 tc The phrase “all of them” does not appear in the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa.
[14:18] 32 sn This refers to the typically extravagant burial of kings.
[14:18] 33 tn Heb “house” (so KJV, ASV), but in this context a tomb is in view. Note the verb “lie down” in the preceding line and the reference to a “grave” in the next line.
[14:19] 34 tn Heb “like a shoot that is abhorred.” The simile seems a bit odd; apparently it refers to a small shoot that is trimmed from a plant and tossed away. Some prefer to emend נֵצֶר (netser, “shoot”); some propose נֵפֶל (nefel, “miscarriage”). In this case one might paraphrase: “like a horrible-looking fetus that is delivered when a woman miscarries.”
[14:19] 35 tn Heb “are clothed with.”
[14:19] 36 tn Heb “those going down to.”
[14:19] 37 tn בּוֹר (bor) literally means “cistern”; cisterns were constructed from stones. On the metaphorical use of “cistern” for the underworld, see the note at v. 15.
[14:19] 38 tn Heb “like a trampled corpse.” Some take this line with what follows.
[14:20] 39 tn Heb “you will not be united with them in burial” (so NASB).
[14:21] 40 tn Or “the place of slaughter for.”
[14:21] 41 tn Heb “for the sin of their fathers.”
[14:21] 42 sn J. N. Oswalt (Isaiah [NICOT], 1:320, n. 10) suggests that the garrison cities of the mighty empire are in view here.
[14:22] 43 tn Heb “I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant” (ASV, NAB, and NRSV all similar).
[14:22] 44 tn Heb “descendant and child.”
[14:23] 45 tn Heb “I will make her into a possession of wild animals.” It is uncertain what type of animal קִפֹּד (qippod) refers to. Some suggest a rodent (cf. NASB, NRSV “hedgehog”), others an owl (cf, NAB, NIV, TEV).
[14:23] 46 tn Heb “I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.”
[21:1] 47 sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
[21:1] 48 tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
[21:2] 49 tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
[21:2] 50 sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
[21:3] 51 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
[21:3] 52 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
[21:4] 53 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
[21:4] 54 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
[21:5] 55 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
[21:5] 56 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
[21:5] 57 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
[21:6] 58 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[21:7] 59 tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
[21:8] 60 tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
[21:8] 61 tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
[21:9] 62 tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
[21:9] 63 tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
[21:10] 64 tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
[43:14] 65 tn Or “kinsman redeemer.” See the note at 41:14.
[43:14] 66 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[43:14] 67 tn Heb “and I bring down [as] fugitives all of them.”
[43:14] 68 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “as for the Babylonians, in ships their joyful shout.” This might be paraphrased, “even the Babylonians in the ships [over which] they joyfully shouted.” The point would be that the Lord caused the Babylonians to flee for safety in the ships in which they took such great pride. A slight change in vocalization yields the reading “into mourning songs,” which provides a good contrast with “joyful shout.” The prefixed bet (בְּ) would indicate identity.
[44:2] 69 sn Jeshurun is a poetic name for Israel; it occurs here and in Deut 32:15; 33:5, 26.
[47:1] 70 tn בְּתוּלַה (bÿtulah) often refers to a virgin, but the phrase “virgin daughter” is apparently stylized (see also 23:12; 37:22). In the extended metaphor of this chapter, where Babylon is personified as a queen (vv. 5, 7), she is depicted as being both a wife and mother (vv. 8-9).
[47:1] 71 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:3] 72 tn Heb “Your shame will be seen.” In this context “shame” is a euphemism referring to the genitals.
[47:3] 73 tn Heb “I will not meet a man.” The verb פָּגַע (pagah) apparently carries the nuance “meet with kindness” here (cf. 64:5, and see BDB 803 s.v. Qal.2).
[47:4] 74 tc The Hebrew text reads, “Our redeemer – the Lord who commands armies [traditionally, the Lord of hosts] is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” The ancient Greek version adds “says” before “our redeemer.” אָמַר (’amar) may have accidentally dropped from the text by virtual haplography. Note that the preceding word אָדָם (’adam) is graphically similar.
[47:4] sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 1:4.
[47:5] 75 tn Heb “darkness,” which may indicate a place of hiding where a fugitive would seek shelter and protection.
[47:5] 76 tn Or “For” (NASB, NRSV).
[47:6] 78 tn Heb “on the old you made very heavy your yoke.”
[47:7] 79 tn Heb “Forever I [will be] permanent queen”; NIV “the eternal queen”; CEV “queen forever.”
[47:7] 80 tn Heb “you did not set these things upon your heart [or “mind”].”
[47:7] 81 tn Heb “you did not remember its outcome”; NAB “you disregarded their outcome.”
[47:8] 82 tn Or perhaps, “voluptuous one” (NAB); NAB “you sensual one”; NLT “You are a pleasure-crazy kingdom.”
[47:8] 83 tn Heb “the one who says in her heart.”
[47:8] 84 tn Heb “I [am], and besides me there is no other.” See Zeph 2:15.
[47:8] 85 tn Heb “I will not live [as] a widow, and I will not know loss of children.”
[47:9] 86 tn Heb “loss of children and widowhood.” In the Hebrew text the phrase is in apposition to “both of these” in line 1.
[47:9] 87 tn Heb “according to their fullness, they will come upon you.”
[47:9] 88 tn For other examples of the preposition bet (בְּ) having the sense of “although, despite,” see BDB 90 s.v. III.7.
[47:9] 89 sn Reference is made to incantations and amulets, both of which were important in Mesopotamian religion. They were used to ward off danger and demons.
[47:10] 90 tn Heb “you trusted in your evil”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “wickedness.”
[47:10] 91 tn Or “said”; NAB “said to yourself”’ NASB “said in your heart.”
[47:10] 92 tn The words “self-professed” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[47:10] 93 tn See the note at v. 8.
[47:11] 94 tc The Hebrew text has שַׁחְרָהּ (shakhrah), which is either a suffixed noun (“its dawning,” i.e., origin) or infinitive (“to look early for it”). Some have suggested an emendation to שַׁחֲדָהּ (shakhadah), a suffixed infinitive from שָׁחַד (shakhad, “[how] to buy it off”; see BDB 1005 s.v. שָׁחַד). This forms a nice parallel with the following couplet. The above translation is based on a different etymology of the verb in question. HALOT 1466 s.v. III שׁחר references a verbal root with these letters (שׁחד) that refers to magical activity.
[47:11] 95 tn Heb “you will not know”; NIV “you cannot foresee.”
[47:12] 96 tn Heb “stand” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “Stand fast.”
[47:12] 97 tn The word “trusting” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See v. 9.
[47:12] 98 tn Heb “in that which you have toiled.”
[47:12] 99 tn Heb “maybe you will be able to profit.”
[47:12] 100 tn Heb “maybe you will cause to tremble.” The object “disaster” is supplied in the translation for clarification. See the note at v. 9.
[47:13] 101 tn Heb “you are tired because of the abundance of your advice.”
[47:13] 102 tn Heb “let them stand and rescue you – the ones who see omens in the sky, who gaze at the stars, who make known by months – from those things which are coming upon you.”
[47:14] 103 tn Heb “hand,” here a metaphor for the strength or power of the flames.
[47:14] 104 tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “there is no coal [for?] their food, light to sit before it.” Some emend לַחְמָם (lakhmam, “their food”) to לְחֻמָּם (lÿkhummam, “to warm them”; see HALOT 328 s.v. חמם). This statement may allude to Isa 44:16, where idolaters are depicted warming themselves over a fire made from wood, part of which was used to form idols. The fire of divine judgment will be no such campfire; its flames will devour and destroy.
[47:15] 105 tn Heb “So they will be to you”; NIV “That is all they can do for you.”
[47:15] 106 tn Heb “that for which you toiled, your traders from your youth.” The omen readers and star gazers are likened to merchants with whom Babylon has had an ongoing economic relationship.
[47:15] 107 tn Heb “each to his own side, they err.”
[25:12] 108 tn Heb “that nation.”
[25:12] 109 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for the use of the term “Chaldeans.”
[25:12] 110 tn Heb “I will visit upon the king of Babylon and upon that nation, oracle of the
[25:12] sn Compare Isa 13:19-22 and Jer 50:39-40.
[25:12] 111 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[25:13] 112 tn Or “I will bring upon it everything that is to be written in this book. I will bring upon it everything that Jeremiah is going to prophesy concerning all the nations.” The reference to “this book” and “what Jeremiah has prophesied against the nations” raises issues about the editorial process underlying the current form of the book of Jeremiah. As the book now stands there is no earlier reference to any judgments against Babylon or any book (really “scroll”; books were a development of the first or second century
[25:14] 113 tn Heb “make slaves of them.” The verb form here indicates that the action is as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). For the use of the verb rendered “makes slaves” see parallel usage in Lev 25:39, 46 (cf. BDB 713 s.v. עָבַד 3).
[25:14] 114 tn Heb “according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands.” The two phrases are synonymous; it would be hard to represent them both in translation without being redundant. The translation attempts to represent them by the qualifier “all” before the first phrase.
[25:15] 115 tn This is an attempt to render the Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) which is probably being used in the sense that BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 3.c notes, i.e., the causal connection is somewhat loose, related here to the prophecies against the nations. “So” seems to be the most appropriate way to represent this.
[25:15] 116 tn Heb “Thus said the
[25:15] 117 sn “Drinking from the cup of wrath” is a common figure to represent being punished by God. Isaiah had used it earlier to refer to the punishment which Judah was to suffer and from which God would deliver her (Isa 51:17, 22) and Jeremiah’s contemporary Habakkuk uses it of Babylon “pouring out its wrath” on the nations and in turn being forced to drink the bitter cup herself (Hab 2:15-16). In Jer 51:7 the
[25:16] 118 tn There is some debate about the meaning of the verb here. Both BDB 172 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hithpo and KBL 191 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpol interpret this of the back and forth movement of staggering. HALOT 192 s.v. גָּעַשׁ Hitpo interprets it as vomiting. The word is used elsewhere of the up and down movement of the mountains (2 Sam 22:8) and the up and down movement of the rolling waves of the Nile (Jer 46:7, 8). The fact that a different verb is used in v. 27 for vomiting would appear to argue against it referring to vomiting (contra W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:674; it is “they” that do this not their stomachs).
[25:16] 119 tn Heb “because of the sword that I will send among them.” Here, as often elsewhere in Jeremiah, the sword is figurative for warfare which brings death. See, e.g., 15:2. The causal particle here is found in verbal locutions where it is the cause of emotional states or action. Hence there are really two “agents” which produce the effects of “staggering” and “acting insane,” the cup filled with God’s wrath and the sword. The sword is the “more literal” and the actual agent by which the first agent’s action is carried out.
[25:17] 120 tn The words “the wine of his wrath” are not in the text but are implicit in the metaphor (see vv. 15-16). They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[25:18] 121 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[25:18] 122 tn The words “I made” and “drink it” are not in the text. The text from v. 18 to v. 26 contains a list of the nations that Jeremiah “made drink it.” The words are supplied in the translation here and at the beginning of v. 19 for the sake of clarity. See also the note on v. 26.
[25:18] 123 tn Heb “in order to make them a ruin, an object of…” The sentence is broken up and the antecedents are made specific for the sake of clarity and English style.
[25:18] 124 tn See the study note on 24:9 for explanation.
[25:18] 125 tn Heb “as it is today.” This phrase would obviously be more appropriate after all these things had happened as is the case in 44:6, 23 where the verbs referring to these conditions are past. Some see this phrase as a marginal gloss added after the tragedies of 597
[25:19] 126 sn See further Jer 46:2-28 for the judgment against Egypt.
[25:20] 127 tn The meaning of this term and its connection with the preceding is somewhat uncertain. This word is used of the mixture of foreign people who accompanied Israel out of Egypt (Exod 12:38) and of the foreigners that the Israelites were to separate out of their midst in the time of Nehemiah (Neh 13:3). Most commentators interpret it here of the foreign people who were living in Egypt. (See BDB 786 s.v. I עֶרֶב and KBL 733 s.v. II עֶרֶב.)
[25:20] 128 sn The land of Uz was Job’s homeland (Job 1:1). The exact location is unknown but its position here between Egypt and the Philistine cities suggests it is south of Judah, probably in the Arabian peninsula. Lam 4:21 suggests that it was near Edom.
[25:20] 129 sn See further Jer 47:1-7 for the judgment against the Philistines. The Philistine cities were west of Judah.
[25:20] 130 sn The Greek historian Herodotus reports that Ashdod had been destroyed under the Pharaoh who preceded Necho, Psammetichus.
[25:21] 131 sn See further Jer 49:7-22 for the judgment against Edom. Edom, Moab, and Ammon were east of Judah.
[25:21] 132 sn See further Jer 48:1-47 for the judgment against Moab.
[25:21] 133 sn See further Jer 49:1-6 for the judgment against Ammon.
[25:22] 134 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 135 sn Tyre and Sidon are mentioned within the judgment on the Philistines in Jer 47:4. They were Phoenician cities to the north and west of Judah on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is now Lebanon.
[25:22] map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[25:22] 136 sn The connection with Tyre and Sidon suggests that these were Phoenician colonies. See also Isa 23:2.
[25:23] 137 sn Dedan and Tema are mentioned together in Isa 21:13-14 and located in the desert. They were located in the northern part of the Arabian peninsula south and east of Ezion Geber. Buz is not mentioned anywhere else and its location is unknown. Judgment against Dedan and Tema is mentioned in conjunction with the judgment on Edom in Jer 47:7-8.
[25:23] 138 tn For the discussion regarding the meaning of the terms here see the notes on 9:26.
[25:23] sn See Jer 9:26 where these are mentioned in connection with Moab, Edom, and Ammon.
[25:24] 139 tc Or “and all the kings of people of mixed origin who.” The Greek version gives evidence of having read the term only once; it refers to the “people of mixed origin” without reference to the kings of Arabia. While the term translated “people of mixed origin” seems appropriate in the context of a group of foreigners within a larger entity (e.g. Israel in Exod 12:38; Neh 13:3; Egypt in Jer 50:37), it seems odd to speak of them as a separate entity under their own kings. The presence of the phrase in the Hebrew text and the other versions dependent upon it can be explained as a case of dittography.
[25:24] sn See further Jer 49:28-33 for judgment against some of these Arabian peoples.
[25:25] 140 sn The kingdom of Zimri is mentioned nowhere else, so its location is unknown.
[25:25] 141 sn See further Jer 49:34-39 for judgment against Elam.
[25:25] 142 sn Elam and Media were east of Babylon; Elam in the south and Media in the north. They were in what is now western Iran.
[25:26] 143 tn The words “have drunk the wine of the
[25:26] 144 tn Heb “the king of Sheshach.” “Sheshach” is a code name for Babylon formed on the principle of substituting the last letter of the alphabet for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. On this principle Hebrew שׁ (shin) is substituted for Hebrew ב (bet) and Hebrew כ (kaf) is substituted for Hebrew ל (lamed). On the same principle “Leb Kamai” in Jer 51:1 is a code name for Chasdim or Chaldeans which is Jeremiah’s term for the Babylonians. No explanation is given for why the code names are used. The name “Sheshach” for Babylon also occurs in Jer 51:41 where the term Babylon is found in parallelism with it.
[50:1] 145 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[50:1] 146 tn Heb “The word which the
[50:2] 147 tn The verbs are masculine plural. Jeremiah is calling on other unnamed messengers to spread the news.
[50:2] 148 tn Heb “Raise a signal flag.”
[50:2] 149 sn Bel was originally the name or title applied to the Sumerian storm god. During the height of Babylon’s power it became a title that was applied to Marduk who was Babylon’s chief deity. As a title it means “Lord.” Here it is a poetical parallel reference to Marduk mentioned in the next line.
[50:2] 150 tn The Hebrew word used here (גִּלּוּלִים, gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אַלִילִים, ’alilim), “vanities,” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim).
[50:2] 151 tn The verbs here are all in the tense that views the actions as though they were already done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). The verbs in the next verse are a mixture of prophetic perfects and imperfects which announce future actions.
[50:2] sn This refers to the fact that the idols that the Babylonians worshiped will not be able to protect them, but will instead be carried off into exile with the Babylonians themselves (cf. Isa 46:1-2).
[50:3] 152 sn A nation from the north refers to Medo-Persia which at the time of the conquest of Babylon in 539
[50:4] 153 tn Heb “oracle of the
[50:4] 154 tn Heb “and the children of Israel will come, they and the children of Judah together. They shall go, weeping as they go, and they will seek the
[50:5] 155 tc The translation here assumes that the Hebrew בֹּאוּ (bo’u; a Qal imperative masculine plural) should be read בָּאוּ (ba’u; a Qal perfect third plural). This reading is presupposed by the Greek version of Aquila, the Latin version, and the Targum (see BHS note a, which mistakenly assumes that the form must be imperfect).
[50:5] 156 sn See Jer 32:40 and the study note there for the nature of this lasting agreement.
[50:6] 157 sn The shepherds are the priests, prophets, and leaders who have led Israel into idolatry (2:8).
[50:6] 158 sn The allusion here, if it is not merely a part of the metaphor of the wandering sheep, is to the worship of the false gods on the high hills (2:20, 3:2).
[50:7] 159 tn This same Hebrew phrase “the habitation of righteousness” is found in Jer 31:23 in relation to Jerusalem in the future as “the place where righteousness dwells.” Here, however, it refers to the same entity as “their resting place” in v. 6 and means “true pasture.” For the meaning of “pasture” for the word נָוֶה (naveh) see 2 Sam 7:8 and especially Isa 65:10 where it is parallel with “resting place” for the flocks. For the meaning of “true” for צֶדֶק (tsedeq) see BDB 841 s.v. צֶדֶק 1. For the interpretation adopted here see G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 365. The same basic interpretation is reflected in NRSV, NJPS, and God’s Word.
[50:7] 161 sn These two verses appear to be a poetical summary of the argument of Jer 2 where the nation is accused of abandoning its loyalty to God and worshiping idols. Whereas those who tried to devour Israel were liable for punishment when Israel was loyal to God (2:3), the enemies of Israel who destroyed them (i.e., the Babylonians [but also the Assyrians], 50:17) argue that they are not liable for punishment because the Israelites have sinned against the
[50:8] 162 tn The words “People of Judah” are not in the Hebrew text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the subject of the address.
[50:8] 163 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[50:8] 164 tn The words “Be the first to leave” are not in the text but spell out the significance of the simile that follows. They have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[50:9] 165 sn Some of these are named in Jer 51:27-28.
[50:9] 166 tn Heb “She will be captured from there (i.e., from the north).”
[50:9] 167 tc Read Heb ַָמשְׂכִּיל (moskil) with a number of Hebrew
[50:9] 168 tn Or more freely, “Their arrows will be as successful at hitting their mark // as a skilled soldier always returns from battle with plunder.”
[50:9] sn I.e., none of the arrows misses its mark.
[50:10] 169 tn Heb “The land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[50:10] 170 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:11] 171 tn The words “People of Babylonia” are not in the text but they are implicit in the reference in the next verse to “your mother” which refers to the city and the land as the mother of its people. These words have been supplied in the translation to identify the referent of “you” and have been added for clarity.
[50:11] 172 tn Or “my land.” The word can refer to either the land (Jer 2:7, 16:8) or the nation/people (Jer 12:7, 8, 9).
[50:11] 173 tc Reading כְּעֶגְלֵי דֶשֶׁא (kÿ’egle deshe’) or כְּעֵגֶל בַּדֶּשֶׁא (kÿ’egel baddeshe’) as presupposed by the Greek and Latin versions (cf. BHS note d-d) in place of the reading in the Hebrew text כְּעֶגְלָה דָשָׁה (kÿ’eglah dashah, “like a heifer treading out the grain”) which does not fit the verb (פּוּשׁ [push] = “spring about” [BDB 807 s.v. I פּוּשׁ] or “paw the ground” [KBL 756 s.v. פּוּשׁ] and compare Mal 3:20 for usage). This variant reading is also accepted by J. Bright, J. A. Thompson, F. B. Huey, and G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers.
[50:11] 174 tn Heb “Though you rejoice, though you exult, you who have plundered my heritage, though you frolic like calves in a pasture and neigh like stallions, your mother…” The particle כִּי (ki) introduces a concessive protasis according to BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c(a). Many interpret the particle as introducing the grounds for the next verse, i.e., “because…” The translation here will reflect the concessive by beginning the next verse with “But.” The long protasis has been broken up and restructured to better conform with contemporary English style.
[50:12] 175 tn Heb “Your mother will be utterly shamed, the one who gave you birth…” The word “mother” and the parallel term “the one who gave you birth” are used metaphorically for the land of Babylonia. For the figure compare the usage in Isa 50:1 (Judah) and Hos 2:2, 5 (2:4, 7 HT) and see BDB 52 s.v. אֵם 2 and 408 s.v. יָלַד Qal.2.c.
[50:12] 176 tn Heb “Behold.” For the use of this particle see the translator’s note on 1:6.
[50:13] 177 tn Heb “From [or Because of] the wrath of the
[50:13] 178 sn Compare Jer 49:17 and the study note there and see also the study notes on 18:16 and 19:8.
[50:14] 179 tn Heb “all you who draw the bow.”
[50:14] 180 tc The verb here should probably be read as a Qal imperative יְרוּ (yÿru) from יָרָה (yarah) with a few Hebrew
[50:14] 181 tn Heb “Shoot at her! Don’t save any arrows!”
[50:15] 182 tn Heb “She has given her hand.” For the idiom here involving submission/surrender see BDB 680 s.v. נָתַן Qal.1.z and compare the usage in 1 Chr 29:24; 2 Chr 30:8. For a different interpretation, however, see the rather complete discussion in G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, and T. G. Smothers (Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 366) who see this as a reference to making a covenant. The verb in this line and the next two lines are all Hebrew perfects and most translators and commentaries see them as past. God’s Word, however, treats them as prophetic perfects and translates them as future. This is more likely in the light of the imperatives both before and after.
[50:15] 183 tn The meaning of this word is uncertain. The definition here follows that of HALOT 91 s.v. אָשְׁיָה, which defines it on the basis of an Akkadian word and treats it as a loanword.
[50:15] 184 tn Heb “Because it is the
[50:16] 185 tn Heb “Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at harvest time.” For the meaning “kill” for the root “cut off” see BDB 503 s.v. כָּרַת Qal.1.b and compare usage in Jer 11:19. The verb is common in this nuance in the Hiphil, cf. BDB 504 s.v. כָּרַת Hiph, 2.b.
[50:16] 186 tn Heb “Because of [or out of fear of] the sword of the oppressor, let each of them turn toward his [own] people and each of them flee to his [own] country.” Compare a similar expression in 46:16 where the reference was to the flight of the mercenaries. Here it refers most likely to foreigners who are counseled to leave Babylon before they are caught up in the destruction. Many of the commentaries and English versions render the verbs as futures but they are more likely third person commands (jussives). Compare the clear commands in v. 8 followed by essentially the same motivation. The “sword of the oppressor,” of course, refers to death at the hands of soldiers wielding all kinds of weapons, chief of which has been a reference to the bow (v. 14).
[50:17] 187 sn The king of Assyria devoured them. This refers to the devastation wrought on northern Israel by the kings of Assyria beginning in 738
[50:17] 188 tn The verb used here only occurs this one time in the Hebrew Bible. It is a denominative from the Hebrew word for “bones” (עֶצֶם, ’etsem). BDB 1126 s.v. עֶָצַם, denom Pi, define it as “break his bones.” HALOT 822 s.v. II עָצַם Pi defines it as “gnaw on his bones.”
[50:17] sn If the prophecies which are referred to in Jer 51:59-64 refer to all that is contained in Jer 50–51 (as some believe), this would have referred to the disasters of 605
[50:18] 189 tn Heb “Therefore thus says Yahweh of armies, the God of Israel.” The first person is again adopted because the
[50:19] 190 tn Heb “their soul [or hunger/appetite] will be satisfied.”
[50:19] 191 sn The metaphor of Israel as a flock of sheep (v. 17) is continued here. The places named were all in Northern Israel and in the Transjordan, lands that were lost to the Assyrians in the period 738-722
[50:20] 192 tn Heb “In those days and at that time, oracle of the
[50:20] 193 sn Compare Jer 31:34 and 33:8.
[50:20] 194 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:21] 195 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:21] 196 sn The commands in this verse and in vv. 26-27 are directed to the armies from the north who are referred to in v. 3 as “a nation from the north” and in v. 9 as a “host of mighty nations from the land of the north.” The addressee in this section shifts from one referent to another.
[50:21] 197 sn Merathaim…Pekod. It is generally agreed that the names of these two regions were chosen for their potential for wordplay. Merathaim probably refers to a region in southern Babylon near where the Tigris and Euphrates come together before they empty into the Persian Gulf. It was known for its briny waters. In Hebrew the word would mean “double rebellion” and would stand as an epithet for the land of Babylon as a whole. Pekod refers to an Aramean people who lived on the eastern bank of the lower Tigris River. They are mentioned often in Assyrian texts and are mentioned in Ezek 23:23 as allies of Babylon. In Hebrew the word would mean “punishment.” As an epithet for the land of Babylon it would refer to the fact that Babylon was to be punished for her double rebellion against the
[50:21] 198 tn Heb “Smite down and completely destroy after them.” The word translated “kill” or “smite down” is a word of uncertain meaning and derivation. BDB 352 s.v. III חָרַב relates it to an Aramaic word meaning “attack, smite down.” KBL 329-30 s.v. II חָרַב sees it as a denominative from the word חֶרֶב (kherev, “sword”), a derivation which many modern commentaries accept and reflect in a translation “put to the sword.” KBL, however, gives “to smite down; to slaughter” which is roughly the equivalent of the meaning assigned to it in BDB. The word only occurs here and in v. 27 in the Qal and in 2 Kgs 3:23 in the Niphal where it means something like “attacked one another, fought with one another.” Many commentators question the validity of the word “after them” (אַחֲרֵיהֶם, ’akharehem) which occurs at the end of the line after “completely destroy.” The Targum reads “the last of them” (אַחֲרִיתָם, ’akharitam) which is graphically very close and accepted by some commentators. The present translation has chosen to represent “after them” by a paraphrase at the beginning “pursue them.”
[50:21] sn For the concept underlying the words translated here “completely destroy” see the study note on Jer 25:9.
[50:21] 199 tn Heb “Do according to all I have commanded you.”
[50:22] 200 tn The words “of Babylonia” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
[50:22] sn The verbs in vv. 22-25 are all descriptive of the present, but all of this is really to take place in the future. Hebrew poetry has a way of rendering future actions as though they were already accomplished. The poetry of this section makes it difficult, however, to render the verbs as future, as has been done regularly in the present translation.
[50:23] 201 tn Heb “How broken and shattered is the hammer of all the earth!” The “hammer” is a metaphor for Babylon who was God’s war club to shatter the nations and destroy kingdoms just like Assyria is represented in Isa 10:5 as a rod and a war club. Some readers, however, might not pick up on the metaphor or identify the referent, so the translation has incorporated an identification of the metaphor and the referent within it. “See how” and “See what” are an attempt to capture the nuance of the Hebrew particle אֵיךְ (’ekh) which here expresses an exclamation of satisfaction in a taunt song (cf. BDB 32 s.v. אֵיךְ 2 and compare usage in Isa 14:4, 12; Jer 50:23).
[50:24] 202 tn Heb “You were found [or found out] and captured because you fought against the
[50:25] 203 tn Or “I have opened up my armory.”
[50:25] 204 tn Heb “The
[50:25] sn The weapons are the nations which God is bringing from the north against them. Reference has already been made in the study notes that Assyria is the “rod” or “war club” by which God vents his anger against Israel (Isa 10:5-6) and Babylon a hammer or war club with which he shatters the nations (Jer 50:23; 51:20). Now God will use other nations as weapons to execute his wrath against Babylon. For a similar idea see Isa 13:2-5 where reference is made to marshaling the nations against Babylon. Some of the nations that the
[50:25] 205 tn Heb “the Lord Yahweh of armies.” For an explanation of this rendering and the significance of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[50:25] 206 tn The words “of Babylonia” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
[50:25] sn The verbs in vv. 22-25 are all descriptive of the present but, all of this is really to take place in the future. Hebrew poetry has a way of rendering future actions as though they were already accomplished. The poetry of this section makes it difficult, however, to render the verbs as future as the present translation has regularly done.
[50:26] 207 tn Heb “Come against her from the end.” There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of “from the end” (מִקֵּץ, miqqets). Some follow the suggestion of F. Giesebrecht in BDB 892 s.v. קָצֶה 3 and emend the text to מִקָּצֶה (miqqatseh) on the basis of the presumed parallel in Jer 51:31 which is interpreted as “on all sides,” i.e., “from every quarter/side.” However, the phrase does not mean that in Jer 51:31 but is used as it is elsewhere of “from one end to another,” i.e., in its entirety (so Gen 19:4). The only real parallel here is the use of the noun קֵץ (qets) with a suffix in Isa 37:24 referring to the remotest part, hence something like from the end (of the earth), i.e., from a far away place. The referent “her” has been clarified here to refer to Babylonia in case someone might not see the connection between v. 25d and v. 26.
[50:26] 208 tn Heb “Pile her up like heaps.” Many commentators understand the comparison to be to heaps of grain (compare usage of עֲרֵמָה (’aremah) in Hag 2:16; Neh 13:15; Ruth 3:7). However, BDB 790 s.v. עֲרֵמָה is more likely correct that this refers to heaps of ruins (compare the usage in Neh 4:2 [3:34 HT]).
[50:26] 209 sn Compare Jer 50:21 and see the study note on 25:9.
[50:26] 210 tn Heb “Do not let there be to her a remnant.” According to BDB 984 s.v. שְׁאֵרִית this refers to the last remnant of people, i.e., there won’t be any survivors. Compare the usage in Jer 11:23.
[50:27] 211 tn Heb “Kill all her young bulls.” Commentators are almost universally agreed that the reference to “young bulls” is figurative here for the princes and warriors (cf. BDB 831 s.v. פַּר 2.f, which compares Isa 34:7 and Ezek 39:18). This is virtually certain because of the reference to the time coming for them to be punished; this would scarcely fit literal bulls. For the verb rendered “kill” here see the translator’s note on v. 21.
[50:27] 212 tn Heb “Let them go down to the slaughter.”
[50:27] 213 tn Or “How terrible it will be for them”; Heb “Woe to them.” See the study note on 22:13 and compare the usage in 23:1; 48:1.
[50:27] 214 tn The words “of reckoning” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[50:28] 215 tn Heb “Hark! Fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon to declare in Zion the vengeance of the
[50:28] sn This verse appears to be a parenthetical exclamation of the prophet in the midst of his report of what the
[50:29] 216 tn For this word see BDB 914 s.v. 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.
[50:29] 217 tn Heb “for she has acted insolently against the
[50:29] 218 sn The Holy One of Israel is a common title for the
[50:30] 219 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:31] 220 tn 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
[50:31] 221 tn 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 2:19.
[50:31] 222 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is probably asseverative here (so J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 739, n. 13, and cf. BDB 472 s.v. כִּי 1.e for other examples). This has been a common use of this particle in the book of Jeremiah.
[50:31] 223 tn The words “of reckoning” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They are supplied in the translation for clarity.
[50:32] 225 tn 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.
[50:33] 226 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For an explanation of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[50:33] 227 tn Heb “Oppressed are the people of Israel and the people of Judah together,” i.e., both the people of Israel and Judah are oppressed. However, neither of these renderings is very poetic. The translation seeks to achieve the same meaning with better poetic expression.
[50:34] 228 sn Heb “their redeemer.” The Hebrew term “redeemer” referred in Israelite family law to the nearest male relative who was responsible for securing the freedom of a relative who had been sold into slavery. For further discussion of this term as well as its metaphorical use to refer to God as the one who frees Israel from bondage in Egypt and from exile in Assyria and Babylonia see the study note on 31:11.
[50:34] 229 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies is his name.” For the rendering of this title see the study note on 2:19.
[50:34] 230 tn Or “he will certainly champion.” The infinitive absolute before the finite verb here is probably functioning to intensify the verb rather than to express the certainty of the action (cf. GKC 333 §112.n and compare usage in Gen 43:3 and 1 Sam 20:6 listed there).
[50:34] 231 tn This appears to be another case where the particle לְמַעַן (lÿma’an) introduces a result rather than giving the purpose or goal. See the translator’s note on 25:7 for a listing of other examples in the book of Jeremiah and also the translator’s note on 27:10.
[50:34] 232 tn Heb “he will bring rest to the earth and will cause unrest to.” The terms “rest” and “unrest” have been doubly translated to give more of the idea underlying these two concepts.
[50:34] 233 tn This translation again reflects the problem often encountered in these prophecies where the
[50:35] 234 tn Heb “the Chaldeans.” For explanation of the rendering see the study note on 21:4. There is no verb in this clause. Therefore it is difficult to determine whether this should be understood as a command or as a prediction. The presence of vav (ו) consecutive perfects after a similar construction in vv. 36b, d, 37c, 38a and the imperfects after “therefore” (לָכֵן, lakhen) all suggest the predictive or future nuance. However, the vav consecutive perfect could be used to carry on the nuance of command (cf. GKC 333 §112.q) but not in the sense of purpose as NRSV, NJPS render them.
[50:35] sn Heb “A sword against the Chaldeans.” The “sword” here is metaphorical for destructive forces in the persons of the armies of the north (vv. 3, 9) which the
[50:35] 235 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:36] 236 tn The meaning and the derivation of the word translated “false prophets” is uncertain. The same word appears in conjunction with the word for “diviners” in Isa 44:25 and probably also in Hos 11:6 in conjunction with the sword consuming them “because of their counsel.” BDB 95 s.v. III בַּד b sees this as a substitution of “empty talk” for “empty talkers” (the figure of metonymy) and refer to them as false prophets. KBL 108 s.v. II בַּד emends the form in both places to read בָּרִים (barim) in place of בַּדִּים (baddim) and defines the word on the basis of Akkadian to mean “soothsayer” (KBL 146 s.v. V בָּר). HALOT 105 s.v. V בַּד retains the pointing, derives it from an Amorite word found in the Mari letters, and defines it as “oracle priest.” However, G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, and T. G. Smothers (Jeremiah 26-52 [WBC], 368) call this identification into question because the word only occurs in one letter from Mari and its meaning is uncertain there. It is hazardous to emend the text in two places, perhaps even three, in light of no textual evidence in any of the passages and to define the word on the basis of an uncertain parallel. Hence the present translation opts here for the derivation and extended definition given in BDB.
[50:36] 237 tn This translation follows the suggestion of BDB 383 s.v. I יָאַל Niph.2. Compare the usage in Isa 19:13 and Jer 5:4.
[50:36] 238 tn The verb here (חָתַת, khatat) could also be rendered “be destroyed” (cf. BDB 369 s.v. חָתַת Qal.1 and compare the usage in Jer 48:20, 39). However, the parallelism with “shown to be fools” argues for the more dominant usage of “be dismayed” or “be filled with terror.” The verb is found in parallelism with both בּוֹשׁ (bosh, “be ashamed, dismayed”) and יָרֵא (yare’, “be afraid”) and can refer to either emotion. Here it is more likely that they are filled with terror because of the approaching armies.
[50:37] 239 tn Hebrew has “his” in both cases here whereas the rest of the possessive pronouns throughout vv. 35-37 are “her.” There is no explanation for this switch unless the third masculine singular refers as a distributive singular to the soldiers mentioned in the preceding verse (cf. GKC 464 §145.l). This is probably the case here, but to refer to “their horses and their chariots” in the midst of all the “her…” might create more confusion than what it is worth to be that pedantic.
[50:37] 240 tn Or “in the country,” or “in her armies”; Heb “in her midst.”
[50:37] 241 tn Heb “A sword against his horses and his chariots and against all the mixed company [or mixed multitude] in her midst and they will become like women.” The sentence had to be split up because it is too long and the continuation of the second half with its consequential statement would not fit together with the first half very well. Hence the subject and verb have been repeated. The Hebrew word translated “foreign troops” (עֶרֶב, ’erev) is the same word that is used in 25:20 to refer to the foreign peoples living in Egypt and in Exod 12:38 for the foreign people that accompanied Israel out of Egypt. Here the word is translated contextually to refer to foreign mercenaries, an identification that most of the commentaries and many of the modern English versions accept (see, e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 355; NRSV; NIV). The significance of the simile “they will become like women” has been spelled out for the sake of clarity.
[50:38] 242 tc Heb “a drought against her waters and they will dry up.” Several of the commentaries and modern English versions accept the emendation proposed by BHS and read here “sword” (חֶרֶב [kherev] in place of חֹרֶב [khorev], the change of only one vowel) in keeping with the rest of the context. According to BHS this reading is supported by the Lucianic and Hexaplaric recensions of the LXX (the Greek version) and the Syriac version. In this case the drying up of the waters (of the canals) is attributed to neglect brought about by war conditions. However, it is just as likely that these versions are influenced by the repetition of the word “sword” as the Hebrew and the other versions are influenced by the concept of “drying up” of the waters to read “drought.” Hence the present translation, along with the majority of modern English versions, retains the Hebrew “drought.”
[50:38] 243 tn Heb “for it is a land of idols.” The “for,” however, goes back to the whole context not just to the preceding prediction (cf. BDB 473-74 s.v. כִּי 1.c and compare usage in Isa 21:6 listed there).
[50:38] 244 tc Or “Her people boast in.” This translation is based on the reading of the majority of Hebrew
[50:38] 245 tn Heb “by the terrors.” However, as HALOT 40 s.v. אֵימָה indicates these are “images that cause terror” (a substitution of the effect for the cause). The translation of this line follows the interpretation of the majority of modern English versions and all the commentaries consulted. NIV, NCV, and God’s Word reflect a different syntax, understanding the subject to be the idols just mentioned rather than “her people” which is supplied here for the sake of clarity (the Hebrew text merely says “they.”) Following that lead, one could render “but those idols will go mad with terror.” This makes excellent sense in the context which often refers to effects (vv. 36b, d, 37c, 38b) of the war that is coming. However, that interpretation does not fit as well with the following “therefore/so,” which basically introduces a judgment or consequence after an accusation of sin.
[50:39] 246 tn The identification of this bird has been called into question by G. R. Driver, “Birds in the Old Testament,” PEQ 87 (1955): 137-38. He refers to this bird as an owl. That identification, however, is not reflected in any of the lexicons including the most recent, which still gives “ostrich” (HALOT 402 s.v. יַעֲנָה) as does W. S. McCullough, “Ostrich,” IDB 3:611. REB, NIV, NCV, and God’s Word all identify this bird as “owl/desert owl.”
[50:39] 247 tn Heb “Therefore desert creatures will live with jackals and ostriches will live in it.”
[50:39] 248 tn Heb “It will never again be inhabited nor dwelt in unto generation and generation.” For the meaning of this last phrase compare the usage in Ps 100:5 and Isaiah 13:20. Since the first half of the verse has spoken of animals living there, it is necessary to add “people” and turn the passive verbs into active ones.
[50:40] 249 tn Heb “‘Like [when] God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns,’ oracle of the
[50:40] sn Compare Jer 49:18 where the same prophecy is applied to Edom.
[50:40] 250 tn Heb “Oracle of the
[50:41] 251 sn A mighty nation and many kings is an allusion to the Medo-Persian empire and the vassal kings who provided forces for the Medo-Persian armies.
[50:42] 252 tn Heb “daughter Babylon.” The word “daughter” is a personification of the city of Babylon and its inhabitants.
[50:43] 253 tn Heb “his hands will drop/hang limp.” For the meaning of this idiom see the translator’s note on 6:24.
[50:43] 254 tn Heb “The king of Babylon hears report of them and his hands hang limp.” The verbs are translated as future because the passage is prophetic and the verbs may be interpreted as prophetic perfects (the action viewed as if it were as good as done). In the parallel passage in 6:24 the verbs could be understood as present perfects because the passage could be viewed as in the present. Here it is future.
[50:43] 255 sn Compare Jer 6:22-24 where almost the same exact words as 50:41-43 are applied to the people of Judah. The repetition of prophecies here and in the following verses emphasizes the talionic nature of God’s punishment of Babylon; as they have done to others, so it will be done to them (cf. 25:14; 50:15).
[50:45] 256 tn The words “of Babylonia” are not in the text but are implicit from the context. They have been supplied in the translation to clarify the referent.
[50:45] sn The verbs in vv. 22-25 are all descriptive of the present, but all of this is really to take place in the future. Hebrew poetry has a way of rendering future actions as though they were already accomplished. The poetry of this section makes it difficult, however, to render the verbs as future as the present translation has regularly done.
[50:46] 257 tn Heb “among the nations.” With the exception of this phrase, the different verb in v. 46a, the absence of a suffix on the word for “land” in v. 45d, the third plural suffix instead of the third singular suffix on the verb for “chase…off of,” this passage is identical with 49:19-21 with the replacement of Babylon or the land of the Chaldeans for Edom. For the translation notes explaining the details of the translation here see the translator’s notes on 49:19-21.
[50:46] sn This passage is virtually identical with Jer 49:19-21 with the replacement of Babylon, land of Babylonia for Edom. As God used Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to destroy Edom, so he would use Cyrus and the Medes and Persians and their allies to destroy Babylon (cf. 25:13, 14). As Nebuchadnezzar was God’s servant to whom all would be subject (25:9; 27:6), so Cyrus is called in Isaiah “his anointed one,” i.e., his chosen king whom he will use to shatter other nations and set Israel free (Isa 45:1-4).
[51:1] 258 sn The destructive wind is a figurative reference to the “foreign people” who will “winnow” Babylon and drive out all the people (v. 2). This figure has already been used in 4:11-12 and in 49:36. See the study note on 4:11-12 and the translator’s notes on 22:22 and 49:36.
[51:1] 259 tn Or “I will arouse the spirit of hostility of a destroying nation”; Heb “I will stir up against Babylon…a destroying wind [or the spirit of a destroyer].” The word רוּחַ (ruakh) can refer to either a wind (BDB 924 s.v. רוּחַ 2.a) or a spirit (BDB 925 s.v. רוּחַ 2.g). It can be construed as either a noun followed by an adjectival participle (so, “a destroying wind”) or a noun followed by another noun in the “of” relationship (a construct or genitival relationship; so, “spirit of a destroyer”). The same noun with this same verb is translated “stir up the spirit of” in 1 Chr 5:26; 2 Chr 21:16; 36:22; Hag 1:14; and most importantly in Jer 51:11 where it refers to the king of the Medes. However, the majority of the exegetical tradition (all the commentaries consulted and all the English versions except NASB and NIV) opt for the “destructive wind” primarily because of the figure of winnowing that is found in the next verse. The translation follows the main line exegetical tradition here for that same reason.
[51:1] 260 sn Heb “the people who live in Leb-qamai.” “Leb-qamai” is a code name for “Chaldeans” formed on the principle of substituting the last letter of the alphabet for the first, the next to the last for the second, and so on. This same principle is used in referring to Babylon in 25:26 and 51:41 as “Sheshach.” See the study note on 25:26 where further details are given. There is no consensus on why the code name is used because the terms Babylon and Chaldeans (= Babylonians) have appeared regularly in this prophecy or collection of prophecies.
[51:2] 261 tn Or “I will send foreign people against Babylonia.” The translation follows the reading of the Greek recensions of Aquila and Symmachus and the Latin version (the Vulgate). That reading is accepted by the majority of modern commentaries and several of the modern versions (e.g., NRSV, REB, NAB, and God’s Word). It fits better with the verb that follows it than the reading of the Hebrew text and the rest of the versions. The difference in the two readings is again only the difference in vocalization, the Hebrew text reading זָרִים (zarim) and the versions cited reading זֹרִים (zorim). If the Hebrew text is followed, there is a wordplay between the two words, “foreigners” and “winnow.” The words “like a wind blowing away chaff” have been supplied in the translation to clarify for the reader what “winnow” means.
[51:2] sn Winnowing involved throwing a mixture of grain and chaff (or straw) into the air and letting the wind blow away the lighter chaff, leaving the grain to fall on the ground. Since God considered all the Babylonians chaff, they would all be “blown away.”
[51:2] 262 tn Or “They will strip her land bare like a wind blowing away chaff.” The alternate translation would be necessary if one were to adopt the alternate reading of the first line (the reading of the Hebrew text). The explanation of “winnow” would then be necessary in the second line. The verb translated “strip…bare” means literally “to empty out” (see BDB 132 s.v. בָּקַק Polel). It has been used in 19:7 in the Qal of “making void” Judah’s plans in a wordplay on the word for “bottle.” See the study note on 19:7 for further details.
[51:2] 263 tn This assumes that the particle כִּי (ki) is temporal (cf. BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.a). This is the interpretation adopted also by NRSV and G. L. Keown, P. J. Scalise, T. G. Smothers, Jeremiah 26-52 (WBC), 349. J. Bright (Jeremiah [AB], 345) and J. A. Thompson (Jeremiah [NICOT], 747, n. 3) interpret it as asseverative or emphatic, “Truly, indeed.” Many of the modern English versions merely ignore it. Reading it as temporal makes it unnecessary to emend the following verb as Bright and Thompson do (from הָיוּ [hayu] to יִהְיוּ [yihyu]).
[51:2] 264 tn Heb “in the day of disaster.”
[51:3] 265 tc The text and consequent meaning of these first two lines are uncertain. Literally the Masoretic reads “against let him string let him string the one who strings his bow and against let him raise himself up in his coat of armor.” This makes absolutely no sense and the ancient versions and Hebrew
[51:3] 266 sn For the concept underlying this word see the study note on “utterly destroy” in Jer 25:9 and compare the usage in 50:21, 26.
[51:4] 267 tn The majority of English versions and the commentaries understand the vav (ו) consecutive + perfect as a future here “They will fall.” However, it makes better sense in the light of the commands in the previous verse to understand this as an indirect third person command (= a jussive; see GKC 333 §112.q, r) as REB and NJPS do.
[51:4] 268 tn Heb “the land of the Chaldeans.” See the study note on 21:4 for explanation.
[51:4] 269 tn The words “cities” is not in the text. The text merely says “in her streets” but the antecedent is “land” and must then refer to the streets of the cities in the land.
[51:5] 270 tn Heb “widowed” (cf. BDB 48 s.v. אַלְמָן, an adjective occurring only here but related to the common word for “widow”). It is commonly translated as has been done here.
[51:5] sn The verses from v. 5 to v. 19 all speak of the
[51:5] 271 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For an explanation of this rendering see the study note on 2:19.
[51:5] 272 tn Or “all, though their land was…” The majority of the modern English versions understand the land here to refer to the land of Israel and Judah (the text reads “their land” and Israel and Judah are the nearest antecedents). In this case the particle כִּי (ki) is concessive (cf. BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c[b]). Many of the modern commentaries understand the referent to be the land of the Chaldeans/Babylonians. However, most of them feel that the line is connected as a causal statement to 51:2-4 and see the line as either textually or logically out of place. However, it need not be viewed as logically out of place. It is parallel to the preceding and gives a second reason why they are to be destroyed. It also forms an excellent transition to the next lines where the exiles and other foreigners are urged to flee and not get caught up in the destruction which is coming “because of her sin.” It might be helpful to note that both the adjective “widowed” and the suffix on “their God” are masculine singular, looking at Israel and Judah as one entity. The “their” then goes back not to Israel and Judah of the preceding lines but to the “them” in v. 4. This makes for a better connection with the following and understands the particle כִּי in its dominant usage not an extremely rare one (see the comment in BDB 473 s.v. כִּי 2.c[b]). This interpretation is also reflected in RSV.
[51:5] 273 sn See the note on the phrase “the Holy One of Israel” in 50:29.
[51:6] 274 tn The words “you foreign people” are not in the text and many think the referent is the exiles of Judah. While this is clearly the case in v. 45 the referent seems broader here where the context speaks of every man going to his own country (v. 9).
[51:6] 276 tn Heb “paying to her a recompense [i.e., a payment in kind].”
[51:7] 277 tn The words “of her wrath” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation to help those readers who are not familiar with the figure of the “cup of the
[51:7] sn The figure of the cup of the
[51:7] 278 tn Heb “upon the grounds of such conditions the nations have gone mad.”
[51:8] 279 tn The verbs in this verse and the following are all in the Hebrew perfect tense, a tense that often refers to a past action or a past action with present results. However, as the translator’s notes have indicated, the prophets use this tense to view the actions as if they were as good as done (the Hebrew prophetic perfect). The stance here is ideal, viewed as already accomplished.
[51:9] 280 tn The words “Foreigners living there will say” are not in the text but are implicit from the third line. These words are generally assumed by the commentaries and are explicitly added in TEV and NCV which are attempting to clarify the text for the average reader.
[51:9] 281 tn Heb “Leave/abandon her.” However, it is smoother in the English translation to make this verb equivalent to the cohortative that follows.
[51:9] 282 tn This is an admittedly very paraphrastic translation that tries to make the figurative nuance of the Hebrew original understandable for the average reader. The Hebrew text reads: “For her judgment [or punishment (cf. BDB 1078 s.v. מִשְׁפָּט 1.f) = ‘execution of judgment’] touches the heavens, and is lifted up as far as the clouds.” The figure of hyperbole or exaggeration is being used here to indicate the vastness of Babylon’s punishment which is the reason to escape (vv. 6, 9c). For this figure see Deut 1:28 in comparison with Num 13:28 and see also Deut 9:1. In both of the passages in Deut it refers to an exaggeration about the height of the walls of fortified cities. The figure also may be a play on Gen 11:4 where the nations gather in Babylon to build a tower that reaches to the skies. The present translation has interpreted the perfects here as prophetic because it has not happened yet or they would not be encouraging one another to leave and escape. For the idea here compare 50:16.
[51:10] 283 tn The words “The exiles from Judah will say” are not in the text but are implicit from the words that follow. They are supplied in the translation to clearly identify for the reader the referent of “us.”
[51:10] 284 tn There is some difference of opinion as to the best way to render the Hebrew expression here. Literally it means “brought forth our righteousnesses.” BDB 842 s.v. צְדָקָה 7.b interprets this of the “righteous acts” of the people of Judah and compares the usage in Isa 64:6; Ezek 3:20; 18:24; 33:13. However, Judah’s acts of righteousness (or more simply, their righteousness) was scarcely revealed in their deliverance. Most of the English versions and commentaries refer to “vindication” i.e., that the
[51:11] 285 sn The imperatives here and in v. 12 are directed to the soldiers in the armies of the kings from the north (here identified as the kings of Media [see also 50:3, 9; 51:27-28]). They have often been addressed in this prophecy as though they were a present force (see 50:14-16; 50:21 [and the study note there]; 50:26, 29; 51:3) though the passage as a whole is prophetic of the future. This gives some idea of the ideal stance that the prophets adopted when they spoke of the future as though already past (the use of the Hebrew prophetic perfect which has been referred to often in the translator’s notes).
[51:11] 286 tn The meaning of this word is debated. The most thorough discussion of this word including etymology and usage in the OT and Qumran is in HALOT 1409-10 s.v. שֶׁלֶט, where the rendering “quiver” is accepted for all the uses of this word in the OT. For a more readily accessible discussion for English readers see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:422-23. The meaning “quiver” fits better with the verb “fill” than the meaning “shield” which is adopted in BDB 1020 s.v. שֶׁלֶט. “Quiver” is the meaning adopted also in NRSV, REB, NAB, and NJPS.
[51:11] 287 tn Heb “The
[51:11] 288 sn Media was a country in what is now northwestern Iran. At the time this prophecy was probably written they were the dominating force in the northern region, the most likely enemy to Babylon. By the time Babylon fell in 538
[51:11] 289 tn Heb “For it is the vengeance of the
[51:11] sn Verse 11c-f appears to be a parenthetical or editorial comment by Jeremiah to give some background for the attack which is summoned in vv. 11-12.
[51:12] 290 tn Heb “Raise a banner against the walls of Babylon.”
[51:12] 291 tn Heb “Strengthen the watch.”
[51:12] 292 tn Heb “Station the guards.”
[51:12] 293 tn Heb “Prepare ambushes.”
[51:12] sn The commands are here addressed to the kings of the Medes to fully blockade the city by posting watchmen and setting men in ambush to prevent people from escaping from the city (cf. 2 Kgs 25:4).
[51:12] 294 tn Heb “For the
[51:13] 295 sn Babylon was situated on the Euphrates River and was surrounded by canals (also called “rivers”).
[51:13] 296 tn Heb “You who live upon [or beside] many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come, the cubit of your cutting off.” The sentence has been restructured and paraphrased to provide clarity for the average reader. The meaning of the last phrase is debated. For a discussion of the two options see W. L. Holladay, Jeremiah (Hermeneia), 2:423. Most modern commentaries and English versions see an allusion to the figure in Isa 38:12 where the reference is to the end of life compared to a tapestry which is suddenly cut off from the loom. Hence, NRSV renders the last line as “the thread of your life is cut” and TEV renders “its thread of life is cut.” That idea is accepted also in HALOT 141 s.v. בצע Qal.1.
[51:14] 297 tn Heb “Yahweh of armies.” For an explanation of this rendering see the study note on 2:19.
[51:14] 298 tn Heb “has sworn by himself.” See the study note on 22:5 for background.
[51:14] 299 tn Heb “I will fill you with men like locusts.” The “you” refers to Babylon (Babylon is both the city and the land it ruled, Babylonia) which has been alluded to in the preceding verses under descriptive titles. The words “your land” have been used because of the way the preceding verse has been rendered, alluding to people rather than to the land or city. The allusion of “men” is, of course, to enemy soldiers and they are here compared to locusts both for their quantity and their destructiveness (see Joel 1:4). For the use of the particles כִּי אִם (ki ’im) to introduce an oath see BDB 475 s.v. כִּי אִם 2.c and compare usage in 2 Kgs 5:20; one would normally expect אִם לֹא (cf. BDB 50 s.v. אִם 1.b[2]).
[51:15] 300 tn The participle here is intended to be connected with “
[51:19] 301 tn Heb “For he is the former of all [things] and the tribe of his inheritance.” This is the major exception to the verbatim repetition of 10:12-16 in 51:15-19. The word “Israel” appears before “the tribe of his inheritance” in 10:16. It is also found in a number of Hebrew
[51:19] 302 sn With the major exception discussed in the translator’s note on the preceding line vv. 15-19 are a verbatim repetition of 10:12-16 with a few minor variations in spelling. There the passage was at the end of a section in which the
[51:20] 303 tn Or “Media.” The referent is not identified in the text; the text merely says “you are my war club.” Commentators in general identify the referent as Babylon because Babylon has been referred to as a hammer in 50:23 and Babylon is referred to in v. 25 as a “destroying mountain” (compare v. 20d). However, S. R. Driver, Jeremiah, 317, n. c maintains that v. 24 speaks against this. It does seem a little inconsistent to render the vav consecutive perfect at the beginning of v. 24 as future while rendering those in vv. 20b-23 as customary past. However, change in person from second masculine singular (vv. 20b-23) to the second masculine plural in “before your very eyes” and its position at the end of the verse after “which they did in Zion” argue that a change in address occurs there. Driver has to ignore the change in person and take “before your eyes” with the verb “repay” at the beginning to maintain the kind of consistency he seeks. The vav (ו) consecutive imperfect can be used for either the customary past (GKC 335-36 §112.dd with cross reference back to GKC 331-32 §112.e) or the future (GKC 334 §112.x). Hence the present translation has followed the majority of commentaries (and English versions like TEV, NCV, CEV, NIrV) in understanding the referent as Babylon and v. 24 being a transition to vv. 25-26 (cf., e.g., J. Bright, Jeremiah [AB], 356-57, and J. A. Thompson, Jeremiah [NICOT], 756-57). If the referent is understood as Media then the verbs in vv. 20-23 should all be translated as futures. See also the translator’s note on v. 24.
[51:20] 304 tn This Hebrew word (מַפֵּץ, mappets) only occurs here in the Hebrew Bible, but its meaning is assured from the use of the verbs that follow which are from the same root (נָפַץ, nafats) and there is a cognate noun מַפָּץ (mappats) that occurs in Ezek 9:2 in the sense of weapon of “smashing.”
[51:20] 305 tn Heb “I smash nations with you.” This same structure is repeated throughout the series in vv. 20c-23.
[51:21] 306 tn Heb “horse and its rider.” However, the terms are meant as generic or collective singulars (cf. GKC 395 §123.b) and are thus translated by the plural. The same thing is true of all the terms in vv. 21-23b. The terms in vv. 20c-d, 23c are plural.
[51:23] 307 tn These two words are Akkadian loan words into Hebrew which often occur in this pairing (cf. Ezek 23:6, 12, 23; Jer 51:23, 28, 57). BDB 688 s.v. סָגָן (sagan) gives “prefect, ruler” as the basic definition for the second term but neither works very well in a modern translation because “prefect” would be unknown to most readers and “ruler” would suggest someone along the lines of a king, which these officials were not. The present translation has chosen “leaders” by default, assuming there is no other term that would be any more appropriate in light of the defects noted in “prefect” and “ruler.”
[5:28] 308 sn Peres (פְּרֵס) is the singular form of פַרְסִין (pharsin) in v. 25.
[5:29] 309 tn Aram “Belshazzar spoke.”
[5:30] 310 tn Aram “king of the Chaldeans.”
[5:30] 311 sn The year was 539
[5:31] 312 sn Beginning with 5:31, the verse numbers through 6:28 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 5:31 ET = 6:1 AT, 6:1 ET = 6:2 AT, 6:2 ET = 6:3 AT, 6:3 ET = 6:4 AT, etc., through 6:28 ET = 6:29 AT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Aramaic text are again the same.
[6:1] 313 tn Aram “It was pleasing before Darius.”
[6:1] 314 tn This is a technical term for an official placed in charge of a region of the empire (cf. KJV, NLT “prince[s]”; NCV, TEV “governors”). These satraps were answerable to a supervisor, who in turn answered to Darius.
[6:2] 315 tn Aram “giving an account.”
[6:4] 316 tn Aram “looking to find.”
[6:4] 317 tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”
[6:4] 318 tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”
[6:4] 319 tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”
[6:5] 320 tn Aram “were saying.”
[6:5] 321 tn Aram “unless we find [it] against him.”
[6:6] 322 tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (rÿgash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel. Cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”
[6:6] 323 tn Aram “thus they were saying.”
[6:7] 324 tn Aram “prays a prayer.”
[6:8] 325 tn Aram “establish a written interdict and inscribe a written decree.”
[6:10] 328 sn In later rabbinic thought this verse was sometimes cited as a proof text for the notion that one should pray only in a house with windows. See b. Berakhot 34b.
[6:10] 329 map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[6:10] 330 sn This is apparently the only specific mention in the OT of prayer being regularly offered three times a day. The practice was probably not unique to Daniel, however.
[6:10] 331 tc Read with several medieval Hebrew
[6:10] 332 tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).
[6:10] sn No specific posture for offering prayers is prescribed in the OT. Kneeling, as here, and standing were both practiced.
[6:11] 333 tn Aram “those men”; the referent (the administrative officials who had earlier approached the king about the edict) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:12] 334 tc The MT also has “about the edict of the king,” but this phrase is absent in the LXX and the Syriac. The present translation deletes the expression.
[6:12] tn Aram “before the king.”
[6:12] 335 tn Aram “the word is true.”
[6:13] 336 tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”
[6:13] 337 tn Aram “prays his prayer.”
[6:14] 338 tn Aram “the word.”
[6:14] 339 tn Aram “placed his mind on.”
[6:14] 340 tn Aram “the entrances of the sun.”
[6:15] 341 tc Theodotion lacks the words “came by collusion to the king and.”
[6:15] 342 tn Aram “the king.”
[6:15] 343 tn Aram “know”; NAB “Keep in mind”; NASB “Recognize”; NIV, NCV “Remember.”
[6:16] 344 tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.
[6:16] 345 sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.
[6:16] 346 tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”
[6:17] 348 sn The purpose of the den being sealed was to prevent unauthorized tampering with the opening of the den. Any disturbance of the seal would immediately alert the officials to improper activity of this sort.
[6:17] 349 tn Aram “the signet rings.”
[6:18] 350 tn The meaning of Aramaic דַּחֲוָה (dakhavah) is a crux interpretum. Suggestions include “music,” “dancing girls,” “concubines,” “table,” “food” – all of which are uncertain. The translation employed here, suggested by earlier scholars, is deliberately vague. A number of recent English versions follow a similar approach with “entertainment” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On this word see further, HALOT 1849-50 s.v.; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 37.
[6:18] 351 tn Aram “his sleep fled from him.”
[6:20] 352 tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.
[6:24] 355 tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.
[6:24] 356 tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.
[6:24] 357 tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.
[6:25] 358 tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”
[6:26] 359 tn Aram “until the end.”
[6:28] 361 tn Or perhaps “in the reign of Darius, even in the reign of Cyrus.” The identity of this Darius is disputed. Some take the name to be referring to Cyrus, understanding the following vav (ו, “and”) in an epexegetical sense (“even”). Others identify Darius with a governor of Babylon known from extra-biblical records as Gubaru, or with Cambyses, son of Cyrus. Many scholars maintain that the reference is historically inaccurate.
[17:1] 362 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[17:1] 363 tn Grk “with me.” The translation “with me” implies that John was engaged in a dialogue with the one speaking to him (e.g., Jesus or an angel) when in reality it was a one-sided conversation, with John doing all the listening. For this reason, μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ (met’ emou, “with me”) was translated as “to me.”
[17:1] 364 tn Here one Greek term, κρίμα (krima), has been translated by the two English terms “condemnation” and “punishment.” See BDAG 567 s.v. 4.b, “mostly in an unfavorable sense, of the condemnatory verdict and sometimes the subsequent punishment itself 2 Pt 2:3; Jd 4…τὸ κ. τῆς πόρνης the condemnation and punishment of the prostitute Rv 17:1.”
[17:2] 365 tn This is the same word translated “sexual immorality” earlier in the verse, but here the qualifier “sexual” has not been repeated for stylistic reasons.
[17:3] 366 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s invitation to witness the fate of the prostitute.
[17:3] 367 tn Or “in the spirit.” “Spirit” could refer either to the Holy Spirit or the human spirit, but in either case John was in “a state of spiritual exaltation best described as a trance” (R. H. Mounce, Revelation [NICNT], 75).
[17:3] 369 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied for stylistic reasons.
[17:4] 370 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the detailed description of the woman, which is somewhat parenthetical in nature.
[17:4] 371 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
[17:4] 372 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
[17:4] 373 tn Grk “pearls, having in her hand.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[17:4] 374 tc Several
[17:5] 375 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:5] 376 tn Some translations consider the word μυστήριον (musthrion, “mystery”) a part of the name written (“Mystery Babylon the Great,” so KJV, NIV), but the gender of both ὄνομα (onoma, “name”) and μυστήριον are neuter, while the gender of “Babylon” is feminine. This strongly suggests that μυστήριον should be understood as an appositive to ὄνομα (“a name, i.e., a mystery”).
[17:6] 377 tn Or “of the witnesses to Jesus.” Here the genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) is taken as an objective genitive; Jesus is the object of their testimony.
[17:6] 378 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:6] 379 tn Grk “I marveled a great marvel” (an idiom for great astonishment).
[17:7] 380 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[17:7] 381 tn Grk “I will tell you,” but since what follows is the angel’s interpretation of the vision, “interpret for you” is the preferred translation here.
[17:8] 382 tn On this term BDAG 2 s.v. ἄβυσσος 2 states, “netherworld, abyss, esp. the abode of the dead Ro 10:7 (Ps 106:26) and of demons Lk 8:31; dungeon where the devil is kept Rv 20:3; abode of the θηρίον, the Antichrist 11:7; 17:8; of ᾿Αβαδδών (q.v.), the angel of the underworld 9:11…φρέαρ τῆς ἀ. 9:1f; capable of being sealed 9:1; 20:1, 3.”
[17:8] 383 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:8] 384 tn Some translations take the ὅτι (Joti) here as causal: “because he was, and is not, but is to come” (so NIV, NRSV), but it is much more likely that the subject of the ὅτι clause has been assimilated into the main clause: “when they see the beast, that he was…” = “when they see that the beast was” (so BDAG 732 s.v. ὅτι 1.f, where Rev 17:8 is listed).
[17:9] 385 tn Grk “Here is the mind that has wisdom.”
[17:9] 386 tn It is important to note that the height of “mountains” versus “hills” or other topographical terms is somewhat relative. In terms of Palestinian topography, Mount Tabor (traditionally regarded as the mount of transfiguration) is some 1,800 ft (550 m) above sea level, while the Mount of Olives is only some 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem.
[17:10] 387 tn That is, one currently reigns.
[17:11] 388 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:12] 389 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:12] 390 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[17:13] 391 tn The word “kings” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the referent.
[17:14] 392 tn See BDAG 636 s.v. μετά A.2.a.α.
[17:15] 393 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[17:15] 394 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[17:15] 395 tn Grk “and multitudes,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here and before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[17:16] 396 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 397 tn A new sentence was started here in the translation. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[17:16] 398 tn The final clause could also be turned into an adverbial clause of means: “They will consume her flesh by burning her with fire.”
[17:17] 400 tn Or “his intent.”
[17:17] 401 tn The infinitive ποιῆσαι (poihsai) was translated here as giving the logical means by which God’s purpose was carried out.
[17:17] 402 tn On this term BDAG 203 s.v. γνώμη 4 states, “declaration, decision, resolution…of God Rv 17:17.”
[17:17] 403 tn For this translation see BDAG 168 s.v. βασιλεία 1.a, “kingship, royal power, royal rule.”
[17:17] 404 tn Or “completed.”
[17:18] 405 tn Grk “And.” Because this remark is somewhat resumptive in nature, “as for” is used in the translation.
[18:1] 406 tn Grk “glory”; but often in the sense of splendor, brightness, or radiance (see L&N 14.49).
[18:2] 407 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style
[18:2] 408 tn Or “It” (the subject is embedded in the verb in Greek; the verb only indicates that it is third person). Since the city has been personified as the great prostitute, the feminine pronoun was used in the translation.
[18:2] 409 tn Here BDAG 1067 s.v. φυλακή 3 states, “a place where guarding is done, prison…Of the nether world or its place of punishment (πνεῦμα 2 and 4c) 1 Pt 3:19 (BReicke, The Disobedient Spirits and Christian Baptism ’46, 116f). It is in a φ. in the latter sense that Satan will be rendered harmless during the millennium Rv 20:7. The fallen city of Babylon becomes a φυλακή haunt for all kinds of unclean spirits and birds 18:2ab.”
[18:2] 410 tc There are several problems in this verse. It seems that according to the ms evidence the first two phrases (i.e., “and a haunt for every unclean spirit, and a haunt for every unclean bird” [καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς πνεύματος ἀκαθάρτου καὶ φυλακὴ παντὸς ὀρνέου ἀκαθάρτου, kai fulakh panto" pneumato" akaqartou kai fulakh panto" orneou akaqartou]) are to be regarded as authentic, though there are some ms discrepancies. The similar beginnings (καὶ φυλακὴ παντός) and endings (ἀκαθάρτου) of each phrase would easily account for some
[18:3] 411 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[18:3] 412 tc ‡ Several
[18:3] 413 tn See the notes on the words “passion” in Rev 14:8 and “wrath” in 16:19.
[18:3] 414 tn According to BDAG 949 s.v. στρῆνος and στρηνιάω, these terms can refer either to luxury or sensuality. In the context of Rev 18, however (as L&N 88.254 indicate) the stress is on gratification of the senses by sexual immorality, so that meaning was emphasized in the translation here.
[18:4] 415 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[18:5] 416 tn On ἐκολλήθησαν (ekollhqhsan) BDAG 556 s.v. κολλάω 2.a.β states, “fig. cling to = come in close contact with (cp. Ps 21:16; 43:26 ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν. The act.=‘bring into contact’ PGM 5, 457 κολλήσας τ. λίθον τῷ ὠτίῳ) ἐκολλήθησαν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἄχρι τ. οὐρανοῦ the sins have touched the heaven = reached the sky (two exprs. are telescoped) Rv 18:5.”
[18:5] 417 tn Or “up to the sky” (the same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky”).
[18:5] 418 tn That is, remembered her sins to execute judgment on them.
[18:6] 420 tn The word “others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:6] 421 tn On this term BDAG 252 s.v. διπλόω states, “to double τὰ διπλᾶ pay back double Rv 18:6.”
[18:7] 422 tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).
[18:7] 423 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:7] 424 tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.
[18:8] 425 tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”
[18:8] 426 tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).
[18:8] 427 tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.
[18:8] 428 tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.
[18:9] 429 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:9] 430 tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”
[18:9] 431 tn Grk “from the burning of her.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burns her up,” see L&N 14.63.
[18:10] 432 tn Or “judgment,” condemnation,” “punishment.” BDAG 569 s.v. κρίσις 1.a.β states, “The word oft. means judgment that goes against a person, condemnation, and the sentence that follows…ἡ κ. σου your judgment Rv 18:10.”
[18:11] 433 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.
[18:11] 434 tn On γόμος (gomos) BDAG 205 s.v. states, “load, freight…cargo of a ship…Ac 21:3. W. gen. of the owner Rv 18:11. W. gen. of content…γ. χρυσοῦ a cargo of gold vs. 12.”
[18:12] 435 tn Grk “and silver,” but καί (kai) has not been translated before most of these terms since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more
[18:12] 436 tn On this term BDAG 924-25 s.v. σιρικός states, “per. to silk from Ser, subst. τὸ σιρικόν silk cloth or garments w. other costly materials Rv 18:12.”
[18:12] 437 tn On the translation of κόκκινον (kokkinon) as “scarlet cloth” see L&N 6.170.
[18:12] 438 tn On the phrase πᾶν ξύλον θύϊνον (pan xulon quinon) L&N 3.63 states, “pertaining to being made or consisting of citron wood (that is, from a citron tree) – ‘of citron wood.’ καὶ πᾶν ξύλον θύϊνον καὶ πᾶν σκεῦος ἐλεφάντινον ‘and all kinds of things made of citron wood and all kinds of objects made of ivory’ Re 18:12. The citron tree belongs to the citrus family of plants, and it produces a pale yellow fruit somewhat larger than a lemon, the rind of which is often candied. In Re 18:12, however, the focus is upon the fine quality of the wood.”
[18:13] 439 tn On the term ἄμωμον (amwmon) L&N 5.23 states, “a generic term for any kind of spice, though often a specific reference to amomum, an Indian type of spice – ‘spice, amomum.’ κιννάμωμον καὶ ἄμωμον καὶ θυμιάματα ‘cinnamon and spice and incense’ Re 18:13. In most translations ἄμωμον is interpreted as spice in general.”
[18:13] 440 tn Or “myrrh,” a strong aromatic ointment often used to prepare a body for burial (L&N 6.205).
[18:13] 441 tn The Greek term λίβανος (libano") refers to the aromatic resin of a certain type of tree (L&N 6.212).
[18:13] 442 tn On σεμίδαλις (semidali") L&N 5.10 states, “a fine grade of wheat flour – ‘fine flour.’ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον καὶ σεμίδαλιν καὶ σῖτον ‘wine and oil and fine flour and wheat’ Re 18:13. In some languages ‘fine flour’ may be best expressed as ‘expensive flour.’ Such a rendering fits well the context of Re 18:13.”
[18:13] 443 tn Or “and wagons.” On the term ῥέδη (rJedh) see L&N 6.53: “a four-wheeled carriage or wagon used for travel or the transportation of loads – ‘carriage, wagon.’ The term ῥέδη occurs only in Re 18:13 in a list of products bought and sold by merchants.”
[18:13] 444 tn Grk “and bodies and souls of men.” This could be understood (1) as a hendiadys (two things mentioned = one thing meant), referring only to slave trade; (2) it could be referring to two somewhat different concepts: slavery (bodies) and the cheapness of human life – some of the items earlier in the list of merchandise were to be obtained only at great cost of human life; or (3) a somewhat related idea, that the trade is in not just physical bodies (slavery) but human souls (people whose lives are destroyed through this trade).
[18:14] 445 tn On ὀπώρα (opwra) L&N 3.34 states, “ἡ ὀπώρα σου τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ψυχῆς ‘the ripe fruit for which you longed’ Re 18:14. In this one occurrence of ὀπώρα in the NT, ‘ripe fruit’ is to be understood in a figurative sense of ‘good things.’”
[18:14] 446 tn Grk “you desired in your soul.”
[18:14] 447 tn On λιπαρός (liparo") BDAG 597 s.v. states, “luxury Rv 18:14.”
[18:14] 448 tn On τὰ λαμπρά (ta lampra) BDAG 585 s.v. λαμπρός 4 states, “splendor…in which a rich man takes delight (cp. Jos., Ant. 12, 220 δωρεὰς δοὺς λαμπράς) Rv 18:14.”
[18:14] 449 tn Verse 14 is set in parentheses because in it the city, Babylon, is addressed directly in second person.
[18:14] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
[18:15] 450 tn Grk “the merchants [sellers] of these things.”
[18:15] 451 tn Grk “her torment, weeping.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation by supplying the words “They will” here.
[18:16] 452 tn The word “clothing” is supplied to clarify that the words “purple” and “scarlet” refer to cloth or garments rather than colors.
[18:16] 453 tn Grk “gilded with gold” (an instance of semantic reinforcement, see L&N 49.29).
[18:17] 454 tn On ἠρημώθη (hrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”
[18:17] 455 tn On κυβερνήτης (kubernhth") BDAG 574 s.v. 1 states, “one who is responsible for the management of a ship, shipmaster, lit. Rv 18:17.”
[18:17] 456 tn Or perhaps, “everyone who sails as a passenger.” On πλέων (plewn) BDAG 825 s.v. πλέω states, “πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον πλέων everyone who sails to a place = seafarer, sea traveler…Rv 18:17. The vv.ll.…have led to various interpretations. Some render: everyone who sails along the coast…See EbNestle, Einführung in das Griech. NT 1909, 182; AFridrichsen, K. Hum. Vetensk.-Samf. i Upps. Årsb. ’43, 31 note ὁ ἐπίτοπον πλέων=one who sails occasionally, a passenger. – S. also IHeikel, StKr 106, ’34/’35, 317).”
[18:17] 457 tn Grk “and as many as.”
[18:18] 458 tn Here the imperfect ἔκραζον (ekrazon) has been translated ingressively.
[18:18] 459 tn Grk “from the burning of her, saying.” For the translation “the smoke from the fire that burned her up,” see L&N 14.63. Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes, “saying”) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
[18:19] 460 tn Grk “with weeping and mourning, saying.” Here the participle λέγοντες (legontes) has not been translated because it is redundant in contemporary English.
[18:19] 461 tn On ἡρημώθη (Jhrhmwqh) L&N 20.41 states, “to suffer destruction, with the implication of being deserted and abandoned – ‘to be destroyed, to suffer destruction, to suffer desolation.’ ἐρημόομαι: μιᾷ ὥρᾳ ἠρημώθη ὁ τοσοῦτος πλοῦτος ‘such great wealth has been destroyed within a single hour’ Re 18:17.”
[18:20] 462 tn On the phrase “pronounced judgment” BDAG 567 s.v. κρίμα 4.b states, “The OT is the source of the expr. κρίνειν τὸ κρ. (cp. Zech 7:9; 8:16; Ezk 44:24) ἔκρινεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ κρίμα ὑμῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς God has pronounced judgment for you against her or God has pronounced on her the judgment she wished to impose on you (HHoltzmann, Hdb. 1893 ad loc.) Rv 18:20.”
[18:20] 463 tn Grk “God has judged a judgment of you of her.” Verse 20 is set in parentheses because in it the saints, etc. are addressed directly in the second person.
[18:20] sn This verse forms a parenthetical aside in the narrative.
[18:21] 464 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
[18:21] 465 tn On ὅρμημα ({ormhma) BDAG 724 s.v. states, “violent rush, onset ὁρμήματι βληθήσεται Βαβυλών Babylon will be thrown down with violence Rv 18:21.” L&N 68.82 refers to the suddenness of the force or violence.
[18:21] 466 sn Thrown down is a play on both the words and the action. The angel’s action with the stone illustrates the kind of sudden violent force with which the city will be overthrown.
[18:22] 467 tn The shift to a second person pronoun here corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:22] 468 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:22] 469 tn On this term BDAG 1001 s.v. τεχνίτης states, “craftsperson, artisan, designer…Of a silversmith Ac 19:24, 25 v.l., 38….Of a potter 2 Cl 8:2 (metaph., cp. Ath. 15:2). πᾶς τεχνίτης πάσης τέχνης Rv 18:22.”
[18:22] 470 tn This is a different Greek word (μύλος, mulos) from the one for the millstone in v. 21 (μύλινος, mulinos). See L&N 7.68.
[18:23] 471 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[18:23] 472 tn On the term φαρμακεία (farmakeia, “magic spells”) see L&N 53.100: “the use of magic, often involving drugs and the casting of spells upon people – ‘to practice magic, to cast spells upon, to engage in sorcery, magic, sorcery.’ φαρμακεία: ἐν τῇ φαρμακείᾳ σου ἐπλανήθησαν πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ‘with your magic spells you deceived all the peoples (of the world)’ Re 18:23.”
[18:24] 473 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[18:24] 474 tn The shift in pronouns from second to third person corresponds to the Greek text.
[18:24] 475 tn Grk “and of all.” The phrase “along with the blood” has been repeated from the previous clause for stylistic reasons.
