Jeremiah 50:43

43 "The ¹king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp; ²Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth.

Jeremiah 50:43 Meaning and Commentary

Jeremiah 50:43

The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them
Belshazzar, as Kimchi; he had the report brought him of the invasion of his land by them; of their approach to Babylon, and design upon it; and of their number, character, and force: and his hands waxed feeble;
as they did when he saw the handwriting upon the wall, ( Daniel 5:6 ) ; anguish took hold of him, [and] pangs as of a woman in travail;
a sudden panic seized him, and he was quite dispirited at once, as a woman in childbirth, when her pains come upon her, and there is no avoiding them; though when those who were with Gobrias and Gadates rushed in upon him, they found him standing up with his sword drawn {z}, but unable to defend himself against such a posse as came in upon him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F26 Xenophon. Cyropaedia, l. 7. c. 23.

Jeremiah 50:43 In-Context

41 "Behold, a people is coming from the north, And a great nation and many kings Will be aroused from the remote parts of the earth.

42 "They seize their bow and javelin; They are cruel and have no mercy. Their voice roars like the sea; And they ride on horses, Marshalled like a man for the battle Against you, O daughter of Babylon.

43 "The king of Babylon has heard the report about them, And his hands hang limp; Distress has gripped him, Agony like a woman in childbirth.

44 "Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thicket of the Jordan to a perennially watered pasture; for in an instant I will make them run away from it, and whoever is chosen I will appoint over it. For who is like Me, and who will summon Me into court? And who then is the shepherd who can stand before Me?"

45 Therefore hear the plan of the LORD which He has planned against Babylon, and His purposes which He has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: surely they will drag them off, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their pasture desolate because of them.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 51:31
• 2. Jeremiah 30:6; Jeremiah 49:24