Jeremiah 51:2

2 Against Bavel I will send foreigners to winnow her and leave her land empty. They will besiege her from every side on the day of disaster.

Jeremiah 51:2 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 51:2

And I will send unto Babylon farmers, that shall fan her, and
shall empty her land
Or, "strangers that shall fan her" ^F3; meaning the Medes and Persians, who should be like a strong wind upon the mountains, where corn, having been threshed, was fanned, and the chaff carried away by the wind; and such would the Chaldeans be in the hand of the Persians, scattered and dispersed among the nations as chaff with the wind, and their cities be emptied of inhabitants, and of their wealth and riches. The Targum is,

``I will send against Babylon spoilers, that shall spoil and exhaust the land:''

for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about;
in the time of the siege they shall surround her on all sides, so that none might escape; as Babylon had been a fanner of the Lord's people, now she should be fanned herself, and stripped of all she had; see ( Jeremiah 15:7 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 (Myrz) "alienos", Cocceius; some in Vatablus; so Kimchi, Ben Melech, Abendana.

Jeremiah 51:2 In-Context

1 ADONAI says this: "Against Bavel and those living in Lev-Kamai I will stir up a destructive wind.

2 Against Bavel I will send foreigners to winnow her and leave her land empty. They will besiege her from every side on the day of disaster.

3 Let the archer draw his bow, let him flaunt his coat of mail; do not spare her young men, completely destroy her whole army.

4 In the land of the Kasdim the slain will fall, those thrust through [by the sword] in her streets.

5 Isra'el and Y'hudah are not left widowed of their God, ADONAI-Tzva'ot; but the land of [the Kasdim] is full of guilt before the Holy One of Isra'el."