John Gill Commentary Jeremiah 50

The word that the Lord spoke against Babylon
Or "to", or "of Babylon" ^F3 ; the city of Babylon, the metropolis of the Chaldean empire; sometimes it signifies the whole country, here the city only, as appears by what follows: [and] against the land of the Chaldeans ;
where the Jews were carried captive, for whose comfort this prophecy is delivered out; and which had subdued other nations, and was become an universal monarchy; these people are mentioned last, because the rest of the nations were to drink the cup of God's wrath at their hands, and then they were to drink it after them; see (Jeremiah 25:9Jeremiah 25:26) .

This is to be understood not only of Babylon and its empire, literally taken, but of mystical Babylon and its dependencies; of Rome, and its jurisdiction; of antichrist, and the antichristian states, the last enemies of the church and people of God, who will be destroyed by the pouring out of the seven vials; see (Revelation 15:1) (16:19) .

This prophecy, which is called "the word that the Lord spoke", for it was from him, the thing was decreed and declared by him, came by Jeremiah the prophet ,
to whom the king of Babylon had been very kind; but yet he must be, and was, faithful as a prophet, to deliver what he had from the Lord concerning the ruin of his empire.

FOOTNOTES:

• F3: (lbb la) "ad Babel", Montanus; "de Babylone", V. L. "de Babel", Cocceius.

Declare you among the nations
The taking of Babylon; a piece of news, in which the nations of the world had a concern, as well as the Jews, being brought under the Babylonish yoke, from which they would now be freed; and therefore such a declaration must be very acceptable and joyful to them. Some take these words to be the words of God to the prophet; others, the words of Jeremiah to the nations; the meaning is only, that such a declaration should be made, and such things done, as follow:

and publish, and set up a standard; publish, [and] conceal not ;
cause it to be heard far and near; and, that it may be heard, set up a sign or standard, to gather the people together to hear it; for this standard was not to be set up for the enlisting of men, or gathering them together, to go up and fight against Babylon, since it was now taken; but as a token of victory, and as expressive joy, on account of it; or rather for the reason given; see (Isaiah 13:2) ; say, Babylon is taken ;
this is the thing to be declared, published, and not concealed; but with an audible voice to be pronounced, and rung throughout the several nations of the earth.

Thus, when the everlasting Gospel is preached to every nation on earth, and Christ is set up in it as an ensign and standard to the people; it shall be everywhere published, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen", (Revelation 14:6Revelation 14:8) (Revelation 18:1Revelation 18:2) ;

Bel is confounded ;
an idol of the Babylonians, thought by some to be the same with Baal by contraction; he is by the Septuagint called Belus, the name of one of their kings; who might be idolized after his death, as was usual among the Heathen lions: he is said to be "confounded", because he must have been, could he have been sensible of the taking of Babylon, where his temple stood, and he was worshipped, since he was not able to protect it; or rather, because his worshippers were confounded, that gloried in him, and put their trust in him. So the Targum, ``they are confounded that worship Bel;'' (See Gill on Isaiah 46:1).

Merodach is broken in pieces ;
another of their idols, which signifies a "pure lord"; some of their kings had this as one of their names, (Isaiah 39:1) (Jeremiah 52:31) . The Targum is, ``they are broken that worshipped Merodach;''

her idols are confounded, her images are broken to pieces ;
these were their lesser deities, as the other two were their greater ones; all should be destroyed along with it; as all the idols and images of the church of Rome will, when that is destroyed, (Revelation 9:20) .

For out of the north there comes up a nation against her
The Medes and Persians, which under Cyrus were one nation; and which not only lay north of Judea, where this prophecy came, but of Babylon, against which they were to come; and might lie more north to it, before the enlargement of their dominions; and besides, Cyrus came through Assyria to Babylon, which lay north of it; see (Isaiah 41:25) . Thus, as Rome Pagan was sacked and taken by the Goths and Vandals, that came out of the north; so Rome Papal, and the antichristian states, will be destroyed by the Christian princes of the north, or those who have embraced what the Papists call the northern heresy; tidings out of the north shall trouble antichrist, (Daniel 11:44) ;

which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein ;
that is, in process of time; for this desolation was not made at once; it was begun by Cyrus, made greater by Darius, and completed by Seleucus Nicator; they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast ;
or, "from man to beast" ^F4 ; such as were not slain should either flee away or be carried captive; so that in time none should remain, either of man or beast; see (Isaiah 13:19–22) ; and for the accomplishment of it on mystical Babylon see (Revelation 18:2Revelation 18:21–23) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (hmhb dew Mdam) "ab homine et usque ad animal", Pagninus, Montanus; "ad bestiam", Schmidt.

In those days, and at that time, says the Lord: When Babylon shall be taken and destroyed, then what follows shall be accomplished; which, as it respects the conversion of the Jews, shows that this prophecy is not to be restrained to literal Babylon.

The children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together: Upon the taking of Babylon, in a literal sense, by Cyrus, the children of Israel, or the ten tribes, carried away by the Assyrians, did not return; only the children of Judah, or the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with the Levites, and a few of the other tribes, that might be mixed among them. But when mystical Babylon is fallen, then the whole body of the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, Israel and Judah; which is foretold in other prophecies, as here, which speak of their general conversion; see (Jeremiah 30:3Jeremiah 30:9) (Ezekiel 37:16–25) (Hosea 1:11).

Going and weeping: Which is another circumstance, which shows that this does not respect the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for that was attended with joy, and not with tears; see (Psalms 126:1Psalms 126:2). Unless it is to be understood of weeping for joy, and of tears of joy, as Kimchi interprets it; but it is better to understand it of that godly sorrow and mourning for sin, which will appear in the Jews at the time of their conversion; particularly for their fathers' ill treatment of the Messiah, their unbelief and rejection of him, and their continued obstinacy and perverseness, and other sins; see (Jeremiah 31:9) (Zechariah 12:10).

They shall go and seek the Lord their God: Even David their King, the true Messiah, who is Lord and God; to him they shall seek for peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life; and acknowledge him to be the Messiah, their Lord, and their God; embrace his Gospel, and submit to his ordinances; see (Jeremiah 30:9) (Hosea 3:5).

The Targum is, "when they were carried captive, they went weeping; but when they return from the land of their captivity, they shall seek the worship of the Lord their God."

They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, etc.] Either to Jerusalem, near to which Mount Zion was; or to the land of Israel, so called, from a principal part of it: and this also is not to be understood of their return thither, upon the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and the liberty he gave them; for they had no need to inquire their way thither, nor do we find anywhere that they did; for though there might be many among them born in the captivity, who did not know the way; yet there were others that did, and could direct and go before them, including those who had seen the former temple (Ezra 3:12); but this suits better with the Jews in the latter day, upon the fall of mystical Babylon, when they will be converted and return to their own land, and will ask their way thither; being under a strong impulse of mind, and being bent upon it, and having full resolution to go thither: or else by Zion may be meant the church of God in Gospel times, as it often is; the way into which the converted Jews will ask, being determined to give themselves up to it, and become members of it; which way is not a religious education, mere morality, or a bare attendance on worship; but faith in Christ, and a profession of it, and submission to the ordinance of baptism.

[saying], come, and let us join ourselves unto the Lord in a perpetual covenant [that] shall not be forgotten; and then may they be said to "join themselves to the Lord", when, under a divine influence, they shall give themselves up to Christ, to be saved by him; when they shall lay hold on him, embrace him, and believe in him; when they shall follow him in his own ways, and cleave unto him with full purpose of heart; and also when they shall join themselves to his people, to the churches of Christ, and abide by his truths and ordinances; to all which they will stir up and encourage one another; either laying hold on the covenant of grace, which is an everlasting one, and will never be forgotten by the Lord; he is ever mindful of it, and keeps it; which is done when men join themselves to the Lord (Isaiah 56:6); or making an agreement or covenant with one another, and the churches to which they join themselves, to walk together in all the ways, ordinances, and commandments of the Lord; which agreement or covenant ought to be perpetually observed, and never forgotten.

Kimchi acknowledges that this part of the verse belongs to the days of the Messiah. The Targum is, "they shall come and be added unto the people of the Lord, and he shall make with them an everlasting covenant, which shall not cease."