Charles Ellicott Commentary Jeremiah 51:15-19

"He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding hath he stretched out the heavens: when he uttereth his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries. Every man is become brutish [and is] without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, a work of delusion: in the time of their visitation they shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the former of all things; and [Israel] is the tribe of his inheritance: Jehovah of hosts is his name." — Jeremiah 51:15-19 (ASV)

He has made the earth by his power... —The five verses are a reproduction of Jeremiah 10:12-16, fitted in here to enhance the majesty of Him who decrees the destruction of Babylon, and appoints Israel to be the instrument of that destruction. The word “Israel,” as the italics show, is missing in the Hebrew, and we have a sufficient sense without it. He is the former of all things, and of the rod (i.e., the tribe) of his inheritance. The English version follows the Vulgate and the Targum in treating the omission as an error of transcription. (See Notes on Jeremiah 10:12-16.)